Trouble In Paradise
by We Are The Stuff Of Legends
Summary: All Misty wanted was a peaceful vacation away from work. Instead, she got love, drama, and a certain annoying brunette on her mind. Egoshipping/Contestshipping/Pearlshipping
1. Chapter 1

**Well, the polls have spoken and here's the story that you guys voted for! Introducing...Trouble in Paradise, an Egoshipping/Contestshipping/Pearlshipping fic. I know it's been ages since I've posted, and I hope this makes it up for you. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1-**

The warm summer breeze blew and ruffled Misty Waterflower's hair. She pushed it back whilst combing it with her fingers. Her halter sun dress fluttered around her and the cool grass tickled her toes. Her hands were clasped behind her back and held her dress down. Misty felt a smile tug on her lips as she thought about her upcoming vacation. Being the Water Mermaid (a very prestigious title) and top water pokemon trainer was fun and all, but Misty really needed some time to relax. And she knew that time was coming when her best friends May Maple, top coordinator and the Princess of Hoenn, and Dawn Hikari, the aspiring pokemon stylist, had decided to take a vacation to the Bichi Region, which was known for its famous beaches, resorts, and casinos. Drew and Ash were also tagging along; Drew because of May. It was no secret that the chartreuse haired coordinator had a soft spot for the graceful brown haired, sapphire eyed Princess. It was obvious to everyone...but May, of course. Drew was top coordinator, but still fell a little short before May, which was surprising, because Drew used to beat May in every contest.

Ash...well, God only knew why Ash was tagging along. Misty had a feeling it was because of Dawn. It was quite apparent that Dawn had a huge crush on Ash Ketchum and Paul Shinji. Though Misty had traveled with Ash for quite a long time, she had absolutely no romantic feelings towards the dense raven haired Pokémon master to be. Paul, on the other hand, was observant but cold, arrogant, and cruel towards everyone, including his pokemon. Paul was someone who would never even utter a word when someone was talking to him.

Someone tugged Misty's ginger hair and she yelped in pain. The now red faced gym leader turned around, ready to give the person a piece of her mind, when she realized it was just May and Dawn. May giggled, her brunette hair in curls framing her face beautifully, and her spaghetti strap tank top and jean short shorts making her a sight to see. Taking her sunglasses off and perching them on her head, she giggled once again at the red faced red head.

"Geez, Mist, your face matches your hair," she grinned cheekily as Dawn nodded enthusiastically and slung her navy blue hair on her left shoulder. Her regular outfit, a black vest over a white camisole and pink mini skirt along with a white with pink pokeball beanie. Her pink leg warmers covered her white sneakers and a dark pink scarf was wrapped around her neck despite the warm weather. Misty rolled her eyes.

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you guys," she joked and May slapped her hand on her heart looking mock offended.

"Well then...I guess we can count you out of the vacation," she grinned slyly as Misty glared.

"You wouldn't dare...or else I'll tell Drew-" May's hand suddenly covered her mouth and Misty's threat was muffled.

"Tell Drew what?" a deep voice sighed, and you could practically _hear_ the smirk and arrogance. Misty took this opportunity to lick May's hand. May squealed and quickly retracted her hand, wiping it on Misty's shirt. The gorgeous brown haired coordinator turned to glare at the new comer. He flicked his chartreuse hair and took his hands out of the pockets of his baggy jean shorts and popped the collar of his beige polo shirt. His sunglasses were on his eyes, making it impossible to see the humor in them.

"That he's being very arrogant again...and that no matter how many times he tries to deny it, he still looks like a grass head," May smirked and Dawn and Misty giggled at the sight of Drew's face. All three girls knew very well that Drew hated when people made fun of his hair, his talents, and his looks. Drew looked appalled.

"So are you girls ready for the trip?" he asked, trying to make his face regain its normal peach color. May nodded, her bubbly personality taking over.

"Definitely! I can't wait to finally relax! My pokemon definitely deserve it!" she exclaimed, not even mentioning that she looked quite pale with stress and lack of sleep. "They've been working so hard, I really do owe them a break," she laughed as she ran her fingers along her poke-belt that had six pokemon each in their respective balls. Dawn smiled brightly too.

"It's great that you guys could come!" she gratefully added and Drew smiled. No one was as hyper as May, except Dawn. Out of the trio of girls, Dawn was probably the most girly and had an extremely hyper and bubbly attitude. She had a contagious smile that just made people smile no matter what. Ever since May had met Dawn, May had forced Dawn to come over to Johto and the two, Drew and Dawn, had become fairly close friends.

"No problem Dawn...I'm just hoping to catch May off her game and become #1 again," he replied and a loud scoff was heard from the latter said girl. Misty just smiled. Drew looked at her. "You ready too?" Misty nodded thoughtfully.

"Of course I'm ready...I was the first one! You know how May and Dawn are, always saving things for the last minute. I had to persuade them yesterday..." Misty trailed off once again. Drew nodded and smiled slightly at the mention of May's name. Misty smiled coyly. "I heard that sunsets on beaches are _very_ romantic," she hinted and Drew lightly blushed and flicked his hair.

"Naturally," was all he said and a thump was heard as May flopped onto the grass lawn in front of Dawn's house, her brunette curls splayed all around her. She fingered her pokeballs and released her pokemon. Flashes of red were seen and a Blaziken, Delcatty, Wartortle, Glaceon, Venasaur, and Beautifly were seen, calling out their respective names. Beautifly fluttered over to Drew and flew around him while Drew merely chortled and handed the pokemon a blood red rose. Misty decided that as long as the four were going to stay here, she may as well call out her pokemon. Since she was a gym leader, she was allowed to carry more than the traditional six pokemon with her.

Reaching into her pocket and enlarging her 8 pokemon, she grinned as her Gyarados, Starmie, Golduck, Milotic, Vaporeon, Blastoise, Dewong, and Lapras all came out. Drew let out a quiet whistle as Misty ran her fingers through Dewong's shiny, sleek snowy coat. May smiled and went to examine Misty's pokemon. "They're looking good today Mist," she comment whilst sucking her cheek in. Misty laughed and flicked her hair in a Drew-like manner.

"Jealous, Maple?" she giggled and May sighed dramatically.

"Yes, almighty Misty! I'm totally jealous," she mocked and Drew scoffed, knowing they were making fun of him. Dawn laughed at the boy's annoyed look.

"I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying this," she grinned and Drew sighed.

"What are we still doing here?" he asked exasperatedly and Dawn groaned as she let Piplup, Ambipom, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Cyndaquil, and Buneary out .

"Waiting for Ash...Paul's not coming on this trip," she smiled, satisfied. Drew raised his eyebrow.

"Thought you were in love with Paul," he grinned as Dawn faltered and flushed.

"That was a year ago! It was a hopeless and lost cause!" she squeaked and was suddenly very aware that Misty and May were watching her. A sudden screech echoed in the sky and Misty grinned as she saw her best friend who was like her brother. Ash came soaring on his Starraptor who cawed as she flew in circles before landing. Misty jumped up and hugged the raven haired trainer.

"Ash! Oh my god, it's been forever!" she smiled broadly as Ash fondly ruffled her hair and Misty glared. May pouted.

"What? The awesome May doesn't get a hug?" she laughed as Ash picked her up and spun her around. "Ash! Put me down!" she laughed. Ash smirked.

"So how's training going?" he asked and May smiled a small smile.

"It's great to know that I have a best friend to support me the whole time," she smiled shyly, stealing a glance at Drew. Ash grinned understandingly and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Good luck," was all he said and May blushed heavily. Drew raised his eyebrows. May had never blushed heavily in front of him!

"I-I never said I was going to tell him!" she protested in a high voice and Ash boomed with laughter.

"Sure May, whatever makes you happy," he addressed his younger-like sister.

"Whatever Ash...can we go now?" May snapped, still annoyed. Ash chuckled then sighed.

"No...Mom found out about the trip and is making someone come along..." Ash replied, looking dejected. Misty, May, and Dawn looked around.

"Um...dare I ask who?" Misty hesitantly asked.

"Why, the one and only greatest pokemon professor there ever was!" an arrogant voice chuckled and Misty started to twitch angrily.

"Ashton Satoshi Ketchum...that better not be who I think it is..." Misty growled through her teeth and Ash gulped and looked terrified while Dawn and May giggled at Ash's full name.

"M-mom told me he had to come!" Ash protested while stepping back and shaking his hair wildly as Misty glared and growled again. She mechanically turned around only to be face to face with the most arrogant, audacious, egotistical person the in the world. The man smirked as Misty glared at him and ran his hand through his chestnut spikes.

"Tsk, tsk Red. Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to stare?" he smirked and everyone's jaw dropped open as they took in Misty's livid face.

"DAMN YOU GARY OAK!" she screeched then was about to pounce on him until she was held back by Ash, May, Drew, and Dawn. "LET ME GO! I'M GONNA WIPE THAT SMIRK OFF HIS UGLY FACE!" Misty screamed as she squirmed around. Indeed, Gary Oak stood there with a smirk on his face watching the attractive redhead try to escape from the four people who were holding her back.

"Ugly? Quite the opposite if I do say so myself. Now calm down, you look like a red male gorilla who just lost its banana," he replied haughtily and Misty suddenly stopped suddenly looking down. Everyone seemed shocked of the sudden mood change and stepped away as Misty dusted herself off and grabbed her bags.

"Screw you Oak, now go fuck off," she snapped and May, Dawn, Drew, Gary, and especially Ash looked surprised at her choice of words. Ash cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Now come on everyone, let's get going! Drew and May on Flygon, me and Dawn on Starraptor, Gary on Aerodactyl and Misty on Lapras?" Ash suggested and everyone shrugged and nodded.

"Then let's get going!"

* * *

As they soared in the air, Drew looked at May in interest. May was looking down at the buildings, her eyes sparkling. She looked up to see Drew still staring at her. "What?" she innocently asked and Drew shook his head a little.

"What up with you and Ash?" he asked and May burst out laughing.

"If you think I'm in love with that dumb-skull you've got something wrong with your brain, Drew!" she sputtered between giggling fits and Drew rolled his eyes.

"Such denial, May," he smirked and May glared. They both turned to see Dawn and Ash laughing. Dawn giggled.

"Yea May! We can practically feel the attraction! Why don't you just admit it?" Dawn raised her eyebrows expectantly. Unbeknownst to the boys, the girls had stopped talking about Ash and were now talking of their real life scenario. May laughed.

"I'll tell him when you tell him!" May called and Drew shook his head as he didn't understand what the two girls were talking about. Looking over to Ash, it was apparent that he didn't either. May turned to Drew. "Don't you think it's mean that Lapras has to carry all the luggage?" she asked and Drew sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

"May, I'm sure Lapras can take it," he sighed and May pouted.

"I'm sure Flygon could have taken it...well, ya know, if we threw you overboard and all, which actually, I'm finding a good idea right now," May winked but yawned a few moments later. Drew looked at her, his face full of concern.

"May are you getting enough sleep? Seriously, you look dead tired," Drew commented poking the brunette a little. May mumbled something. Drew poked her again. "What? I couldn't understand you."

"I said no," she replied but her breathing became steady as she fell asleep. Drew shook his head and smiled down at the brunette.

A few feet behind them, the spiky brunette boy watched the four people interact and felt slightly jealous and something else that he couldn't understand. Gary looked down and spotted the red head water mermaid as she drifted on the ocean. She looked down at the ocean somberly as she let her fingertips brush the water, giggling softly as the mini waves created around Lapras sprayed her. Her demeanor looked happy but Gary could feel the sadness of her aura. Telling Aerodactyl to fly lower, he soared towards Misty.

"Hey Red, everything alright?" he asked and Misty jerked up, surprised. Her face darkened with emotion but smiled nonetheless.

"Mm, yea. Everything's fine," she smiled but Gary shook his head, unsatisfied with the answer.

"Nope, it's not; I can tell." Gary smirked as he declared it proudly. Misty rolled her eyes.

"Wow Gary, you're so cool. I wish I could be like you," she sighed dramatically as she spoke every word sarcastically. "Now be happy that I'm not killing you and go have fun with the others. I want to be alone for a while," Misty sighed and Gary pondered for a moment before pulling out a pokeball and calling the pokemon out. A red flash momentarily made Misty squint but when she blinked and opened them, a huge turtle with two cannons on its back was drifting on the water next to her.

"You know Blastoise Mist. Say hi to Misty like a good boy," Gary smirked and Blastoise smirked right back. Misty rolled her eyes.

"Blastoise is very arrogant. Of course, he must have learned from the best. By the way, what are you doing anyway? What is Blastoise doing out here?" Misty asked but Gary jumped from his flying pokemon and Misty squeaked in surprise as he smoothly landed on his swimming turtle. "Gary, what in the world are you doing?"

"Keeping you company. It looks like you need it," Gary smiled and Misty scoffed and looked away but Gary had a feeling she was smiling too.

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**Not too bad if I do say so myself. Though I'll let you guys be the judge of it. Please review whether you liked it or not...or I'll hunt you down ;)**

**Nah! Just kidding, but seriously guys. Feedback VVVVV**

**~xxRoseofDeathxx  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoop whoop! I'm finally back after my hiatus from this story. So if you didn't know, I finished Poke Reunion (finally) so now I have a chance to work on this story. I don't plan on it being long or anything but I guess I go where my muse takes me. I've written this chapter over a period of time so excuse any weird flowing problems it has. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!  
**

**Now enough of my insistent rambling and let's get on with the chapter!  
**

**~Deepika  
**

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**Chapter 2-**

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The resort was beautiful. As Misty got off Lapras, and Gary off Blastoise, the two stared in wonder and amazement. Never had either of them seen water so sparkling blue. Her trained eyes scanned the area for any water pokemon yet to be discovered. She closed her eyes and smiled, imagining herself on a giant wave being carried away by the gentle waters while the salty scent entered her nose and the warm summer breeze sifted her hair. However, to her annoyance, this peace was shortly lived.

"Babe at 2 o'clock. If you dweebs will excuse me." His voice cut through her veil serenity and made her blood boil. Delia had told them to be nice and, mainly to her, not to explode during the vacation. But how could Misty resist? It had only been two minutes since they got here and Gary was already on the chase of a skank, no doubt.

"Remember what Mom said Mist," a voice reminded her and Misty looked over to Ash who was glaring at Gary with the same amount of hatred as she was. Though they were all friends now, didn't mean that they were brothers and sisters. Grabbing her hand tightly, Ash dragged her away from Gary and towards the luxurious hotel they were staying at.

"Surprised? Tch, I'm not. I've stayed at much better hotels than this," Drew scoffed and May slapped his arm. Drew whined a little, turning his head to see a smirking May.

"Drew, honestly, your modesty is so deep and sincere. And let's be happy that we didn't chose a worse hotel, something with bugs or something," May sweetly smiled, though made a face at her latter remark. Drew smirked.

"Afraid of a little bug Maple?" he taunted, fully aware that it would be the bug pokemon who would be afraid of the brash young women whom he accompanied on the trip. May fumed and attempted to hit Drew, only to be stopped by a palm to her face.

"Urgh!" was the only decipherable word heard from her mouth and Drew chuckled. The wingul crooned and Dawn, who had just reached the group, and May both looked up to see the white bird pokemon fly around the beach. May looked at Dawn.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" May asked while Dawn nodded, already started to strip down. Ash looked at the two girls, horrified.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" he asked and then chuckled at the girls' stupidity as they were already dressed in bikinis. May looked at him like he was stupid.

"Ash...we're going to the beach...duh! And you're supposed to be the smart one," she rolled her eyes, unaware of the audience that had accumulated. "Whatever, let's go Dawn," May stuck her tongue out childishly before skipping away to her beloved beach. Ash shook his head while looking at Drew.

"What the hell are we going to do with them?" Ash chuckled to the distracted Drew, who was watching May bounce with joy. "You're going to have to tell her someday Drew. I'm sure she's just as confused about you as you are about her," Ash suddenly spoke, startling Drew a little.

"No, I'm not about to go embarrass myself in front of her, only to get rejected. She could never love a guys like me," Drew muttered and Ash tried to hold in his laugh but couldn't.

"Is that what you're so afraid of? Rejection? Drew, May's nuts over you. Just tell her, and you'll see," Ash smiled and walked towards the girls. Turning back, he smirked at the once again distracted green headed man. "Coming Casanova?" Ash smirked once, receiving a glare from Drew, who reluctantly followed.

* * *

_Great, I just HAD to pick the spot where Gary mother-fucking Oak is hitting on this stupid slut!_ Misty growled as she tried not to pay attention to Gary and his lame pickup lines or the girls' fake giggles. She noticed that the girl was wearing a string bikini and was getting noticeably closer to Gary, sickening Misty and causing her to make a face. Getting up, she groaned and dusted the sand off of her, calling out her pokemon and dragging them to the water. Getting on Lapras, Misty closed her eyes and began to relax, only to wake up to giggling, coming from a few feet in front of her. To her great annoyance, she found Gary there, flirting with the same girl she had just seen him with.

"Gary!" the girl exclaimed as he splashed her. Misty watched in envy as the two laughed and had fun; no matter how much Misty claimed to hate Gary, which she did, she did have a bit of jealousy directed towards him and the thousands of girls who wanted him. Not that she wanted thousands of people, but she just wanted a few guys, people who liked her for who she was. Sighing once more and feeling more depressed than ever, Misty retreated from her water haven and to the sand where May and Dawn were tanning.

"Mist?" May yawned a bit, lowering her sunglasses from the bridge of her nose. Misty smiled in response. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong May. You two just get back to what you were doing," Misty smiled. May frowned, now knowing something was seriously wrong. Just as May was about to say something, she was surrounded by a herd of fans, wanting her autograph, or weirder things. Misty shook her head as she noticed that all her friends had fans surrounding them. Laughing darkly to herself, Misty found a secluded spot where no one was really looking.

"Dew, Dewong?" Dewong nestled her leg and Misty smiled a watery smile and patted her seal pokemon.

"No, I'm fine you guys. Now come on, let's have some fun!" Misty laughed. "Lapras, hydro pump aimed up to the sky," Misty commanded and Lapras cooed her name, blasting the water. "Gyarados, dragon breath, surrounding the hydro pump. Starmie rapid spin, Dewong aqua tail and lift me into the air!" Misty called and grinned as she watched the fire from dragon breath intertwine with the hydro pump. Dewong's aqua tail sent Misty up into the air and she laughed in joy as Starmie used hydro pump as well as Blastoise. Milotic used aqua ring and Misty jumped down, only to remain in the air by Golduck and his psychic attack. "Vaporeon, shadow ball in the air and then aqua jet on all of them," Misty smiled as the last part of her plan went into action.

"Whoa..." a voice was heard and Misty gasped, suddenly noticing the crowd of people watching her. Feeling the heat burn up to her cheeks and told her pokemon to call off the attacks. She was met with a whole crowd of clapping and cheering people. Smiling widely, Misty took a little bow and laughed.

"What a loser. Anyone can do that," the voice smirked and Misty's grin was took off her face. She growled.

"Wanna say that to my face?" Misty growled and the person the voice belonged to stepped up.

"Gladly," she smirked and Misty gasped as she realized who it was. "Surprised Misty dear? You honestly couldn't expect me to stay in stupid old Cerulean could you? The water is _much_ better here...although, I think you're presence is tainting it, just like it tainted the waters in Cerulean," the girl snootily laughed. Her hair was blue-green and she was wearing a white spaghetti strap tank top and denim short shorts, and Misty finally realized where she had seen her; that had been the skank that Gary had been flirting with.

"Aqua, this is so not the time to be taking out all your anger and jealousy out on me," Misty scoffed and the now identified Aqua hmphed.

"Jealous? Why would _I_ be jealous of _you_?" she laughed and by this time, the crowd had dissipated. "Misty, I think you've forgotten, but you're the runt of the family. No one likes you, get into your thick head," she sniffed and then turned. "Oh yea, and Gary is a lot of fun, just saying."

It took all of Misty's will to not pounce on Aqua. In return the blue haired girl left and the crowd dispersed leaving Misty all alone again. Finally catching up to Misty, May and Dawn panted. "Hey Mist, sorry about that," May smiled, looking exhausted. Misty's face darkened but the two tired girls paid no attention.

"Come on guys, let's go to the hotel," Misty smiled slightly; though her blood was boiling and her eyes threatened to let the gathered up tears fall.

* * *

The hotel was luxurious and just as beautiful. From the fountain and gorgeous landscaping in the front, to the marble tiling and tall ceilings in the lobby, and amazing suites all throughout the hotel, it was like paradise. Misty was flabbergasted as she entered her abode for three weeks. She walked up to the reception desk.

"Maple party," she said and the receptionist looked at her computer, mechanically nodded and tossed them their room keys. "Ooh, goody! A room away from the boys," Misty grinned. She turned around to see a bell hop already taking her bags and heading up the stairs. Misty smiled brightly as she took the elevator and reached her room. Opening the door with the key the bellhop just gave her, Misty gasped.

It was beautiful. The room had a bathroom to the side with a Jacuzzi and in front of her was an enormous room with white carpeting. There were two large master beds which were to the left facing the flat screen television on the right. There were two night stands on each side of the bed and a coffee table near the large French doors. Opening the French doors, Misty could see the vast ocean spreading across and, now that it was nearing sun set, the stringed lights on the bar hut. Whipping out her cell phone, she called Dawn and May.

"Hello? This is May speaking, how may I help you?" May answered and Misty rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Hey May, did you check out our room yet?" she asked and May replied with a no. "Well, don't just stand there! Go check it out! I promise you that you'll like it," Misty said. May groaned as she relayed the message to Dawn . Five minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Misty furrowed her eyebrows and opened it and was bombarded by an over excited May.

"Oh my gosh!" she squealed and Dawn walked in, nodding. "Hey what's going on down there?" May suddenly asked, looking down at the people setting up for something.

"Probably setting up for a beach party," Misty replied, walking towards the window as well. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a small smile making its way across Dawn's face. Misty whipped her head around, knowing what the bluenette was thinking. "No; no, no, no, no, no, no, _no_," Misty growled and Dawn smiled even wider. Grabbing her hand, Dawn pulled May and Misty and sat them each on the seats in front of the vanity mirror.

"We are going and we are going in style. And we are going to make the guys _want_ us," she smirked and Misty groaned.

An hour later, Misty took a shaky breath and opened her eyes. In front of her stood a beautiful girl in a polka dot top that barely left her black mini skirt visible. The top was white with major cleavage; a little part ran down the middle of her valley leaving very little to the imagination. A belt under her chest accented her waist and chest while the black straps on the edge of her tank top straps gave the outfit an edge. Her hair was straightened down and was shoulder length and her bangs fell in front of her forehead. Her makeup was done to perfection; smoky eyes with thick eyeliner and mascara, peach blush, and nude glossy lips finished off her face. Her arms jingled with her bracelet and as she turned, she noted the noticeably chic black nearly knee-high shiny leather boots with three inch heels on her feet.

"Misty...you look amazing!" May breathed and Misty blinked a little as she noticed that the girl she was looking at was _her_. Dawn enthusiastically nodded. Misty smiled softly, remembering the comment from earlier that morning

"You guys look better than me; honestly," Misty replied, closing her eyes then opened them in time to see Dawn staring at her. "May, honestly! Look at you; you are the definition of sexy," Misty giggled and May did a little 360 in her gold pump stilettos. Her skintight dress was black with thin straps that led down to a deep v-neck that accented her chest. It went down and stopped at a little above halfway down her thighs. The chest piece and the skirt piece both had gold sparkles. Her hair was curled and cascaded down her shoulders. Her eyes were a neutral smoky and her lips were a light pink. "And Dawn..." Misty trailed off.

"Oh come on; I don't look _that_ good," Dawn rolled her eyes. It was a three piece dress that consisted of a leopard printed bra like top and mini skirt and then a three-quarter sleeve black shirt under the bra top, making it look like she wore a bra on top of her shirt. Dawn's navy blue hair was tied up into a high ponytail and pulled back by a silver headband, showing off her giant dangly hoops. Her makeup was dark and dramatic and she wore light red lipstick. She had no other jewelry and on her feet were white pumps with the largest stiletto heel out of the three girls. Misty shook her head, resisting the urge to laugh and then remembered something.

"Wait...aren't our shoes going to get stuck in the sand?" she asked and Dawn looked at her as if she were a ten-year old Ash.

"Hello, duh, the party's on an actual club floor! It's not going to be on the actual sand!" Dawn laughed and Misty rolled her eyes. "Come on...I kind of want to invite the guys," the bluenette smirked and Misty felt her lips curl up.

"You just want to impress Ash, don't you?" she smirked and smirked even broader when Dawn blushed and it wasn't part of her makeup. "All right, come on. Let's go get our game on," she laughed and the girls slipped out of their room, giggling all the way. May whipped out her pokedex and pressed her number 3 speed-dial. Misty turned to the brunette. "You have Drew on speed-dial?" she asked and May blushed an attractive scarlet.

"Shut up!" she hissed and Misty bit her lip in an attempt to not snort. "You- Uh hey Drew! What?" she asked through the pokedex and her expression turned furious. "Shut up! Uh hey!" May squealed as Dawn stole her device from her hand.

"Drew; you, Gary, and Ash need to get your asses down to the beach where they are having the most amazing party ever! If you don't, I swear I will hunt you down for missing this amazing opportunity!" she said happily before hanging up. "What? May was taking too long..." the bluenette defended herself and May kicked her. "Ow! Gosh, sorry!" Dawn whined as the girls walked out of the lavish hotel and into the beach where the sun was just setting. There were balled lights on wire that were hung everywhere, illuminating the purple and orange sky.

"Oh my gosh!" May squealed as they entered the outdoor club with a black checkered dance floor. There were strobe lights that reflected blue, red, green, pink, and yellow lights on the floor and on the actual people. The place was packed, but there was a section for food and for drinks; alcohol and non-alcohol. Misty, being the oldest, walked directly to the bar while May and Dawn ran for the dance floor, not even bothering to wait for the guys to come.

* * *

Ash looked at himself in the mirror and inspected the person in front of him. No hat and tidy hair; check. Killer outfit; check. Awesome smile that was sure to impress Dawn; a bit awkward and goofy but nonetheless check. He sighed and thought about why he was really going through with this. About ten minutes ago, the spunky brunette had called, with the hyper bluenette cutting in, demanding that they go to the party. Ash's roommates, Gary and Drew, had immediately run to get ready. Now everyone with common sense would know why Drew and Gary were going; girls, girls, girls (and May for Drew). But why was he even debating on going?

"You just going to stand there and admire yourself Ash?" Drew asked, slightly smirking. There was no doubt that he was club material, with that killer smirk and the dreamy eyes. He was wearing a simple white tee shirt with a cotton half sleeve tee-shirt over it and he had jean shorts that stopped just above his knees. He had flip flops on and sunglasses on top of his head. Ash sighed as he heard Gary fuss over his hair or something and looked back at the mirror. Drew noticed Ash's troubled expression and frowned slightly, slightly concerned that his halfhearted jeer didn't faze the young man. "Ash?" Drew asked once more and the raven haired pokemon master looked at the grasshead, his eyes shining in slight annoyance.

"Drew, why don't you go head over to the party? Gary's just about finished and I'll come down later," Ash said and Drew slowly nodded, still feeling slightly worried. "I'll be fine, so don't bother trying to get me to come. I'll be down in like, half an hour," Ash interjected before Drew could say something. Ash's expression hardened and Drew looked behind him to see Gary stepping out of the bathroom. Grimacing because of the obvious tension between the two, Drew rushed Gary out of the hotel room and onto the beach where the party was taking place.

As soon as the room was empty, Ash took a deep breath and then sighed loudly. He flopped onto the bed and cradled his head in his hands. Being the oldest guy in the group, even older than Gary, Ash felt some responsibility towards his friends and their feelings. He felt even more responsible for Misty because he had known the fiery redhead for so long and she was his sister and partner in crime. Contrary to popular belief, Ash wasn't as oblivious as people made him out to be. He had noticed Misty's upset demeanor throughout the whole traveling part of the trip and he had noticed her even more dejected expression when everyone was getting bombarded with fans. The run-in with her cousin/long- time- rival Aqua hadn't really made things any better. Getting up and looking out the window that had a perfect view of the beach, Ash hoped that Misty was there having a good time. His heart plummeted a little when he saw his best friend at the bar. She looked absolutely amazing yet she stayed at the bar, playing with her hair a little and barely chatting with anyone who tried to talk with her. Ash's teeth clenched and he wanted to punch all the guys who were looking at her and who weren't looking at her. Part of him wanted to act as the big brother and get the guys away from Misty. But the other part of him saw how much she craved for attention and it just made him want to push all the guys away from May and Dawn to Misty. Misty was gorgeous, there was no doubt about it. But everyone seemed to be drawn to May and his Dawn and that made him frustrated.

Shaking his head, Ash drew himself away from the mirror and thought about the three girls. May was obviously taken by Drew; it wasn't a secret and she made no effort to hide her feelings about the green haired Casanova. Although Drew could annoy him a lot, Ash still cared for the grasshead and was really hoping that Drew would make his move on May before someone else would. Misty: his best friend, sister, and partner in crime. She deserved all the attention in the world because she was honestly the sweetest and most amazing girl in the world yet she was always pushed and shoved around by others who deemed themselves prettier than her- _and she let them_. Misty had never been the most self confident in herself and it hurt Ash to see his sister so weak when she was clearly the best out of everyone. And then there was Dawn. Dawn was just a whole separate topic. Misty and May had just been girls that he traveled with and considered sisters. But when Ash had traveled with Dawn, there was something different, a different kind of spark that he felt. He and the bluenette had an instant connection and that connection was still there. Yes, after all the rumors of him and Misty, it was true that Ash, the current pokemon master of Johto and Kanto, like Dawn Hikari of Sinnoh. Ash had considered telling Dawn that he liked her for a while now, but there was just no right way to tell her.

Looking at the time, Ash realized that he was late and the guys were expecting him to be down in two minutes. Steeling himself as if heading into battle, Ash stuck his card key in his pocket and exited the room to the elevator. When he reached the ground floor, the raven haired boy attempted to make a dash for the outside but not before running into the marine haired devil herself. Aqua smiled flirtatiously at Ash. "Ash, fancy seeing you here," Aqua smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling so earnestly that Ash almost felt himself get sucked in.

"You too Aqua, now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to go," Ash nearly spat the words as he stalked past the annoying girl. The Pokemon Master weaved his way through the crowd and to the bar where he spotted Misty nursing her drink and having a conversation with the bartender. As if somehow sensing him, Misty turned around.

"Ash, hey! What's up?" Misty giggled, immediately warning Ash that she was tipsy. He was about to go over to Misty when a certain bluenette came up to him and literally took his breath away. Ash felt his brain turn into mush and his pants get noticeably tighter as his crush smiled at him and beckoned him to the dance floor.

In another part of the dance floor, May and Drew were dancing dirtily against each other, their hips grinding into each other and Drew's hands all over May's body. The two honestly had no care in the world and they were in their own private bubble as guy and girls all around them stared jealously. At some point, the two had downed some drinks and the liquid courage literally did its job. May was against Drew so her back was to his face and his arms were wrapped around her waist and his mouth hovering dangerously close to her neck.

Misty watched on while drinking some vodka. She normally didn't drink so much but it was just the people around her and the fact that nobody seemed to really notice her tonight. With a bitter smile, Misty remembered that May and Dawn were the stars of this show; they always seemed to be. No matter what she wore or what she did, she just couldn't seem to get any guy to like her...except the extremely nice, extremely good looking bartender whose name was Trent. Swiveling around in her seat and then giggling to herself about spinning things, Misty beckoned for another glass. Trent eyed his customer as he poured the drink.

She was beyond gorgeous and she was all alone tonight, for some strange reason. He really wanted to talk to her and she seemed like a cool girl. So as he finished pouring the drink he held the glass out to her but snatched it away before she could get her hands on it. A whine of protest escaped the redhead's mouth. "Hey, don't you think that you've had enough to drink for tonight?" Trent asked, worry covering his face. Misty scoffed.

"I'm still slightly sober and the people around me are annoying. So seriously Trent, give me my drink," Misty grumbled and ran a hand through her already disheveled hair. Trent laughed and kept the drink out of her reach. "Trent!" Misty whined as Trent chuckled once more. Misty decided she liked the sound of it.

"How about we do a little exchange. You can get the drink if you can tell me a little about yourself. I don't even know you're name beautiful," Trent smirked and Misty dramatically sighed before bursting out into a fit of giggles.

"Well, my name is Misty, I'm the runt of my family and nobody thinks I'm beautiful. I've also never had a boyfriend," Misty smiled brightly even though what she was saying was sad. Trent looked at the redhead in shock and handed her the drink he had held captive.

"Well I think you're gorgeous. Does that mean you've never been on a date before?" Trent asked and Misty sighed and giggled again. Trent smiled at the sound of her laugh even though it was a drunken induced laugh.

"Oh I've been on dates before but all the men are stupid," Misty stuck her tongue out and grimaced. Trent smiled once more before taking the drink away. Misty whined and then growled as she lunged for it.

"Beautiful, I think you've had enough to drink. And I'm willing to change your mind about us boys. I'm appalled that my gender has given you such a bad impression of us," Trent smiled flirtatiously and ran his hand through his semi-long mahogany colored hair. Misty leaned in closer to Trent, their faces literally inches away. Both were so close they didn't even notice an angry figure approaching them.

"Oh? And just _how_ are you planning to do that?" Misty breathed an intoxicating fume of mint and vodka that overtook all of Trent's senses. Their breathing was heavy and Trent visibly swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Despite what everyone thought, Misty was sober enough to know what was going on and where it was going.

"How about tomorrow, the hotel restaurant at 7?" Trent breathed and Misty felt her face get hot. Somehow, he wasn't like all the other guys that asked her out on dates. Misty hummed and pretended to think, an amused twinkle in her eye. Trent deadpanned. Misty laughed.

"Sure Trent, it's a date," she softly laughed and Trent was about to open his mouth to say a witty one-liner when an obnoxiously rude and annoying voice interrupted them.

"Red, what the hell do you think you're doing? And come on man, taking advantage of a drunk? Where's your integrity?" the voice snarled. Misty's eyes widened and she turned around when she felt his hand tightly grip her wrist. Trent frowned at the fear in Misty's eyes and stood up to his full height.

"Excuse me, what do you think _you're_ doing? Misty, do you know this guy?" Trent asked, his voice rising in anger. Misty cringed as she whipped her head back and forth looking at the two guys. Gary snorted and answered for her.

"Know this guy? I've known her for ten years! And do you know who I am?" Gary growled while tugging Misty out of her chair. Some onlookers were beginning to stop what they were doing and watch the scene unfold, to Misty's horror. Before Trent could even say anything else, Misty felt herself being dragged away by Gary. Misty growled and struggled against Gary's iron grip but to no avail.

"Gary! What the hell is your problem?" Misty cried as she still struggled to get out of the man's grip. "Let go, you're hurting me!" Misty gasped as a stinging pain flooded through her arm. Gary turned around and faced her, eyes flashing.

"Seriously Red? Don't even talk right now. How can you let a guy take advantage of you in a drunken state?" Gary fumed. Misty bristled.

"Drunken state? Gary, I'm barely tipsy!" she yelled right back. Gary stopped short; she had seriously let that man flirt with her? "And what is your problem? You don't care for me back home and the one moment I had with a guy, you suddenly start to care and have to get in my way? Why can't I even have fun on vacation? I can take care of myself Gary, just leave me alone!" Misty seethed, her voice loud and angry. She had had enough of his 'chivalrous' acts.

"Misty..." Gary muttered, not even knowing what he did to tick her off. The ginger was a mystery to him but he was gentleman enough to not let her get taken advantage of by some sleazy bartender.

"Trent kept me company the whole time and was nice enough to take my drink away when he thought I had enough. I don't know about you, but what that man has said and done for me in that one hour is probably ten times more than what you have done for me in my whole life. Now go away and leave me alone!" Misty screeched and stomped over to the hotel, fuming.


	3. Chapter 3

**Argh! I'm so sorry guys...I was going to upload this chapter yesterday because if you haven't read on my profile yet, I've decided to update this story and Those High School Sweethearts every other week. So basically, since I uploaded TiP this week, on 8/25, I'll be uploading a chapter of THSS. Anyway, I _was_ going to upload this yesterday, had it all saved and planned out, when I got these intense abdomen pains and was forced to go to the emergency room where I learned that I probably had a kidney stone. Yup, and even better, it was smaller than a freaking grain of sand! Anyway, I hope you can forgive me and you'll enjoy this chapter.  
**

**Now please try not to hate Dawn too much in this, because I'm really stressing on how alone Misty feels and how that affects her and stuff. But I sort of got emotional in this chapter and I really did work hard on it so please read it and leave me a little review telling me what you thought about it, what you loved, what you hated, and I'll try my best to keep your suggestions in mind.  
**

**Now enough of my insistent rambling and let's get on with this chapter!  
**

**~Deepika  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3-**

"Red, aw c'mon Red, calm down!" Gary called after the slightly swaying Misty. Misty ignored the obnoxious voice and scoffed as she fished her hotel key card out of her bag and entered the elevator. The last thing she saw before the doors closed was Gary's irritated and slightly hurt face that almost- _almost_- made Misty stop but she ignored the slight tug in her chest and turned her face away. The elevator dinged and Misty pressed the twentieth floor.

By the time the elevator finally dinged at its destination, Misty was suddenly exhausted, the events of the day finally catching up to her. Why was it that any time she finally got a man to look at her, someone had to go and ruin it for her? Misty had had a total of zero boyfriends in her twenty three long years of life and although she liked to act nonchalant about it, there was nothing cool about not even having a boyfriend for three days. She didn't trust very easily because she knew that when she did, someone was bound to break that trust and everything she had worked hard for would backfire.

Ash was the closest thing she ever had to a boyfriend but that slight crush she had on him had slowly morphed into an eternal trust between siblings. Misty knew she could go to Ash about anything but talking to him about her nonexistent love life was not on the top of the list of the things she wanted to do. May and Dawn were her next choices but they had their own love lives to worry about and they would just pity her, which was definitely the last thing she wanted. Sighing, Misty couldn't help but just feel a connection to Trent the bartender. She barely knew the man, but the way he talked to her and the way that he knew just what to say just drew her to him. She had vaguely spilled her guts to him and he talked to her like she wasn't a freak or the runt of the family.

Inserting her keycard into the key slot, Misty opened the door, slipped out of her outfit and makeup, and threw on an oversized t-shirt to sleep in. There was a familiar stinging behind her eyes and Misty had to close her eyes and take a deep breath. The others were all at the party no doubt and she would have some time for her own. Calling out her Starmie, Misty sighed and let the tears fall while talking to her pokemon. The star pokemon cooed in response and snuggled close to her knowing that it couldn't offer her any other consolation other than that.

* * *

By the time Ash had finally finished dancing with Dawn, he didn't see Misty at the bar anymore. Muttering an apology to Dawn Ash went to go find his best friend. When the raven haired pokemon master exited the beach he noticed a certain brunette dragging a certain redhead. Anger boiled in his veins but Ash kept his distance wanting to know what was happening. He watched as Misty wrenched her wrist from Gary's grasp, he watched as she literally blew up in his face and he watched as she stormed off. Despite Dawn's calls, he followed Gary and Misty into the hotel. They were yelling something in such a storm that he couldn't make out what they were saying but he sure was happy that nobody was in the lobby.

Misty had just stormed off into the elevator and shut it in his face and Gary was standing there looking helpless. Ash decided that he had had enough of Gary's constant meddling in Misty's life and he walked up to his childhood 'friend' with his arms crossed across his chest. Gary noticed the footsteps behind him and barely had time to react before he got a hard punch in the arm. The brunette Casanova glared at the pokemon master.

"Dude, the hell was that for?" Gary growled as he rubbed his arm in a vain attempt of trying to make him feel better. Geez that Ash had a sucker punch. Ash glared at Gary until the brunette felt a bit unnerved and he tried again. "Ash, what's bugging you?" Gary asked this time a bit more calmly. Ash sighed as he uncrossed his arms.

"Gary, I know you're trying to be a good guy," Ash began but rolled his eyes when he saw Gary puff up his chest and had to stifle his groan. "But you seriously have to leave Misty alone," Ash resumed and Gary seemed to deflate a bit.

"What makes you think that you know her?" Gary asked but regretted the question the moment it left his mouth. Ash got a certain glint in his eyes whenever he argued something with Gary and this time was no exception.

"Gary, I've known her for more than ten years. I know the things that make her smile and I know the thing that set her off. I know how to calm her down and I know how to rile her up. I know her fears and I know anything and everything about her. I know when something's bothering and ever since we've been on this trip, I've only seen that she gets that look when she's near you. I honestly don't know what you're saying to her but you have _got_ to stop. I love her like a sister and I sure as hell don't want to see her hurt and know that it came from one of my childhood friends/rival!" Ash burst out and Gary swallowed when he realized the absolute truth in that statement.

"Then tell me Ash, what in the world could I have done that made her so upset? All I did was save her from a sleazy bartender that was hitting on her and suddenly she gets all defensive and starts to yell at me!" Gary refuted, his stance a bit belligerent, something Ash noticed.

"Well, did you think that maybe the bartender wasn't sleazy to Misty and she knew what she was doing?" Ash asked, his age and wisdom shining through his eyes and words. Gary seemed to bristle at his words.

"Arceus, she was _drunk_. I'm gentlemen enough to know when a woman is drunk and is being taken advantage of. Misty was definitely drunk and she was definitely being hit on by that bartender," the brunette hissed and Ash willed himself not to get riled up by the brunette's idiocy.

"I'll have you know that Misty can hold her alcohol like a real man. She can have a few shots of patron or vodka and she'll still be sober enough to know what's going on. So I'm guessing you saw her slightly tipsy. When Misty gets tipsy, she giggles a lot and she seems to get a lot of courage and does things that she normally wouldn't do. Just call it liquid courage," Ash informed Gary. Gary wanted to slap himself for being so stupid. For Mew's sake, he should have known that Misty would be able to take care of herself and that she would know what she was doing by now.

"Are you serious? Because if you are, then she's going to give me hell tomorrow," Gary asked weakly. Ash sighed and shook his head while clapping the brunette on the shoulder.

"Look, despite what she says, Misty is pretty fragile and the slightest of things can set her off. I specifically requested the Pokemon League to give us this vacation because I know that she needs to cool off and relax. She's been really stressed lately and the people around her weren't helping either. And to be honest, that's why I argued so much when I heard that you were going on this trip because I know that when we shove you and Misty into the same room or the same hotel even, you guys are going to inevitably butt heads. Just...promise me that you'll apologize and try to be civil with her?" Gary stood stock still, wide-eyed, as Ash talked. Since when did the naïve raven haired boy become such a mature guy?

* * *

Dawn felt the tears streaming down her face before she wiped them away in a frustrated manner. She had followed Ash, despite her gut warning, and she had listened to his outburst where he had admitted to loving Misty...and not her. The bluenette knew that she should have never let him in so close, but she had thought that they had had a real connection that had the potential to become something more. Dawn felt like the outfit she had chosen was just a huge waste because she only got a few dances with Ash in and now she was ruining the makeup that she had worked so hard on.

The bluenette dejectedly walked back to the beach where the party was still going strong. May and Drew were laughing while lightly bantering and Dawn felt a tug in her heart. It just wasn't fair was it, that May had the best love life out of all of them? May turned around and smiled and waved at her friend but frowned when she noticed the upset expression on Dawn's face. Whispering something in Drew's ear, May bounded over to Dawn where the bluenette started to panic and tried to wipe her tears.

"Oh my Arceus, what happened Dawn?" May asked and wrapped an arm around Dawn. Dawn felt more tears leak out of her eyes and she took a shuddering breath. May patiently waited for her friend to tell her what was going on.

"Ash doesn't like me," Dawn squeaked out and May seemed to freeze with shock and confusion. Ash didn't like Dawn? Had May been wrong in the signs and his body language? May laughed in shock and slightly shook her head.

"Dawn, that's stupid. Ash is crazy about you," May weakly protested. Dawn shook her head and a few tears splashed on May's shoulders. The brunette's heart panged and she hugged Dawn closer.

"I heard him tell Gary that he loves Misty," Dawn wailed. May gasped as she tried to process that information. It simply wasn't possible but if what Dawn said was true, then May had read all the signs wrong. Dawn groaned and wiped her eyes. "This is so stupid, I'm Dawn Hikari, I can get any guy that I want with a snap of a finger," Dawn laughed in a thick voice through her oncoming tears.

"Don't worry Dawn. I just can't believe Misty didn't tell us any of this. She usually tells us everything!" May exclaimed angrily. Dawn shook her head, anger blazing in her eyes.

"It's not fair; Misty has everything I have ever wanted, and even though she says she doesn't, now she even has Ash. I just...urgh I just really hate her sometimes," Dawn said softly. She knew Misty was her friend, but seriously. That girl got everything she wanted and she seemed to waste it. May sighed and nodded despite her inclination to disagree with Dawn. The redhead may have a fiery temper but she wasn't someone that May could hate.

"Whatever you say Dawn, whatever you say," May replied and Dawn flipped her pony tail over her shoulder and sauntered off of the dance floor and towards the hotel. When May didn't follow her, Dawn turned around and smiled.

"I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough of partying for tonight," Dawn laughed softly, though her eyes remained slightly puffy and her eyes were red rimmed. The girls walked to the hotel quietly while May pondered the future of this vacation and Dawn inwardly seethed. They entered the giant hotel and entered the elevator that took them up to the room they shared with Misty.

* * *

The moment May and Dawn entered the room, Misty perked up knowing that even though Gary had botched her night that these two girls would make her night better. Misty smiled brightly at her friends and was confused when they both ignored her. Trying not to assume the worst Misty laughed it off. And then Dawn gave her the coldest glare that she had ever seen the girl give someone. A lump seemed to form in Misty's throat as the two girls changed from their outfits into sleepwear.

"Guys...what's wrong? Dawn are you ok?" Misty asked and was once again ignored by her roommates. Misty took deep breaths, terribly afraid at what was going on tonight. Dawn scoffed at her and then slammed the door to the bathroom. Misty flinched and she sat up while the lump in her throat seemed to get bigger. "I-uh..." Misty breathed as her voice cracked with the strain of tears. May gave her a look that said that she had messed something up; big time. Dawn came out of the bathroom and Misty did her best to smile and for some reason that made Dawn angrier. "So what are the bed arrangements?" Misty laughed nervously, trying to break the tension that had suddenly enveloped the room. Dawn scoffed and flipped her hair while stalking over to May's bed. Misty felt her heart start to sink.

"I think I'm going to sleep with May for the entirety of this vacation. You can just sleep on that big bed all alone," Dawn smiled though there were malice behind her sugary sweet tone. Misty nodded while she turned around and attempted to hide the tears that were going to fall out of her eyes soon. She had turned around so quickly that she had missed May's apologetic glance.

"O-ok, well good night," Misty said softly so neither girl could witness her moment of weakness but was met with a cold silence. Misty got up and turned off the lights. As soon as she lay down on the bed, the tears started to pour out of her eyes and onto the pillow, effectively soaking it. An hour later, the tears still hadn't subsided and Misty was starting to get scared that May and Dawn could hear her. Pulling on a pair of short and grabbing her keycard and slipping on a pair of flip flops, Misty slipped out of her hotel room and went down to the empty beach.

When she was younger, the waves had always managed to calm her down only this time it didn't work. Her tears didn't subside and she ended up sitting in the sand with her knees held close to her chest and her head bowed onto the joints as her body shuddered in tears. The waves in the ocean seemed to crash harder, nicely mirroring her raging emotions. Misty knew that coming on this vacation was going to be a huge vacation. She never got the good things in life and the one time she was close to getting something that had the possibility of being good, it was cruelly ripped out from under her. Sure she had a killer job and she was respected throughout all of Jhoto, but she didn't have a real family. Her parents had been killed in a plane crash when she was five and her sisters treated her like the runt of the family since she was significantly younger than them. The only one who was even close to being nice to her was Daisy but the moment she had left the house when she was ten, all those good feelings had suddenly disappeared. Misty never had a significant other; she had never experienced love because all the guys that had asked her out on dates turned out to be creeps and stalkers.

With all her crying, Misty never noticed the sympathetic figure standing next to her. Misty stiffened when she heard the distinct sound of feet meeting sand to her left and she lifted her puffy eyes to look at the male figure that was next to her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the cute bartender from earlier, Trent. She motioned the vast beach next her and Trent took it as an invitation to sit down. Trent felt his heart go out to the sobbing redhead next to him.

"Now why is a beautiful girl like you crying on a beach in the middle of the night all alone?" Trent asked softly as Misty sniffled a little and wiped her tears. Trent was probably appalled by her and probably thought that she was some weak girl who couldn't do anything. A laugh bubbled out of Misty's throat as she shook her head and the tears continued to seep out of her eyes.

"Arceus, everyone hates me," Misty sobbed and shuddered when Trent wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Trent looked at her and smiled gently.

"Somehow I doubt that," he smiled and Misty gave him a watery smile. "Do you mind explaining where on earth you got such a harebrained idea?" Trent asked and Misty groaned while resting her head on his shoulder. Trent smiled at the girl and could not, for his life, figure out why she was crying.

"I honestly have no idea what I did wrong, but somehow my two best friends are looking at me like I'm the enemy, like I've done something so horribly wrong that it's completely unforgiveable. And I've done nothing except be nice and, oh for Mew's sake, here I go again with the tears," Misty gasped as the tears she had managed to stop started to fall again. "The glare that Dawn gave me...Arceus, it was colder than an Articuno ice beam," Misty moaned as her body wracked with another sob.

Trent looked at the redhead and just shook his head. Whoever this Dawn girl was, she was crazy for even thinking that Misty did something wrong. For the few hours that he knew Misty, he knew that she was nothing but an angel and a fragile girl putting up iron walls that guarded her heart; walls that were only let down for certain people and obviously someone had broken her. From what the redhead had told him, she had been independent for a long time and wasn't about to give that up. Misty looked up at Trent and suddenly gripped her head in frustration.

"God, you probably hate me right now. It's like two am and here I am keeping you away from your bed," Misty groaned as she tried to extract herself from his embrace and Trent just heartily laughed.

"Misty, seriously don't worry about it. I'm glad I was up for this long because I think I would feel worse if you were here all by yourself. But I also meant what I said before you were unceremoniously dragged from the bar. Have dinner with me tonight at 7. I know this amazing restaurant with some really good food that I'm sure you will regret not eating," Trent grinned and Misty sniffled once more before nodding.

"Sure Trent, it's a date," she shakily said while wiping away the last of her tears. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Thanks for staying with me," Misty bashfully smiled and blushed as she softly kissed Trent's cheek. Brushing the sand off her bottom and the backs of her legs and began to make the lonely trek back to the hotel but not before spotting Trent's gentle smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**Whoo I'm finally back guys! My sincerest apologies for being so MIA but high school and all that wonderful stuff has just kept me away from this story. I feel insanely bad that it's been so long since I started this story and I can't even begin to express how sorry I am that I've been away for so long. I also know that this chapter isn't my usual standard size, because I know that all my THSS readers are used to seeing like 8K word chapters but I just really wanted to get a new chapter out before even my loyal readers stopped reading. Anyway, I'm working on a new chapter as we speak (paused to post this chapter) and I think I know where this story is heading now. **

**Now this may be a spoiler, but can you guys review and tell me if you don't mind that Dawn may not end up with Ash in this story? I mean, obviously I'm like really hyping the Pearlshipping but ever since I got the grand idea to make Dawn the antagonist of this story, I thought it would be kind of stupid for all my ladies of this story to have a happy ending because let's be honest; I know we all want Misty and Gary to get together and for May and Drew to finally admit their feelings for each other. So if you are reviewing (and guests, don't be afraid to review!) please tell me your thoughts :)**

**Finally, I don't know when the next chapter of TiP is going to be up, but I want to thank all of you for sticking with me throughout these months and possibly years (because I honestly don't remember when I started this story and admittedly, I'm far too lazy to check). I know I'm not the most consistent of writers but every chapter I do put up, I'm proud of for the most part. Never fear, this story is not going to be too long. My main goal is to make THSS more than 30 chapters, but we'll see how that goes. Don't forget to check out my other Pokemon stories, especially Poke Reunion, which is a story I am extremely proud of. **

**As usual, don't forget to review, favorite, and follow! Now enough of my insistent rambling, and let's get on with the chapter!**

**~Deepika**

**ps. in your review, write banana boat if you actually read the author's note? i'm kind of interested to see who actually read it**

* * *

Chapter 4-

The next day rolled around quickly for Misty and her fitful sleep but wasn't any better. No one had bothered waking her up and she was left by herself, scrambling to get herself ready for breakfast when she realized that breakfast was going to be over in half an hour. Slamming her palm on her forehead, Misty threw on a sundress and slipped her flip flops on while putting her keycard in the pocket of the dress. She rushed out and furiously pressed the down button of the elevator while feeling a sense of dread fill her body.

Suddenly the adrenaline rush left her body and she wondered if she should even bother going down for breakfast. Dawn and May would undoubtedly be with the boys and if last night was any indicator of how things would be going down for the next two weeks, Misty didn't want to be anywhere near them. As if sensing her inner conflict, Misty heard the elevator ding as the metal doors opened and she stepped in. It seemed like the ride down took forever and her stomach actually had a bunch of Butterfree fluttering in it. It was as if time slowed down and Misty suddenly hesitated at the door. She was lucky because she could spot Ash, Drew, May, Gary, and Dawn at the back table but they couldn't spot her.

Misty had half a mind to just turn back around and just get breakfast somewhere else but she steeled herself and walked in, head held high as she sauntered over to the buffet table where most of the stuff was gone but she took whatever she could find. She didn't have any dinner except for some booze and Misty doubted that counted as anything substantial. Now the only problem was finding a place to sit and her friends seemed to have made it very clear that they didn't want her sitting with them. They had chosen a table of five and Misty swallowed as Aqua and Dawn's words echoed in her brain.

Ash was the first person to see her and he smirked as she made eye contact with him. "Morning sleeping beauty," Ash smirked and Misty rolled her eyes but shot Ash a weak smile that had his smirk fading and him standing up. Misty just sat another table that faced away from the people that she called her friends. Misty should have known that she shouldn't have let her walls down. Right now, the only person she could trust was Ash and the fact that he was so enthralled with Dawn didn't help things at all. Surprisingly, Gary was the first one to sit with her at the empty table. Misty looked up in surprise as he confidently sat down across from her and just continued to eat his breakfast like it was no big deal. However, he noticed her haggard appearance and frowned when he noticed her slightly red nose and her puffy eyes.

"Hey, you ok there Red?" Gary asked and Misty looked up once more like a Deerling caught in a pair of headlights. Gary seemed to frown even more when he saw the surprise in her eyes, like she was surprised that someone was talking to her.

"Ash, sit down. Misty's doing fine on her own," Dawn said in a loud high pitched voice that had Misty cringing and plastering a fake smile on her face. Gary noticed her taking a deep breath and shuddering when she exhaled. Misty heard the chair creek and knew that Ash had sat down. Somehow, the fact that he was siding with Dawn hurt her but she knew that he had a thing for the bluenette and didn't blame him. But no one said that understanding a situation didn't stop the pain.

"Peachy," Misty groused though she kept the fake smile up. A few minutes after making a dent in her pecha berry pancake, Misty looked up and noticed that Gary was still there. "Gary, seriously what are you doing here? Why are you here instead of with Drew, Ash, May, and Dawn?" Neither made a comment on how she spat out Dawn's name. Gary smiled a gentle genuine smile that had Misty's heart thumping like crazy.

"You looked like you needed a friend. Besides, they don't really like me over there," Gary laughed softly as if it was a funny situation. Misty scoffed and Gary bit his lip when he realized that the poor girl was close to falling asleep on her breakfast.

"Yea, well I bet they like you more than me right now," Misty sneered as she stabbed her pancake with such ferocity that it startled the both of them. Misty blushed as she looked down with her hair covering her eyes. Gary smiled but quickly smirked when she looked back up.

"About that; Arceus Red, what the hell did you do for those girls to get so mad at you?" Gary asked but regretted that question when he noticed Misty's expression fall and the walls start to crumble a bit. He bit his tongue and almost hit himself for how stupid he could be.

"I honestly don't know," Misty said softly, her eyes downcast. She flinched when Dawn laughed at something loudly and said something about how they were her best friends. Misty stood up so abruptly that her fork clattered on the glass plate. Gary looked at her in surprise and noticed that her hair was covering her eyes again. He opened to say something but quickly shut it when he thought better. "If you'll excuse me Gary," she said, her voice thick with emotion and Gary had the strangest urge to go and slap the silly out of Dawn. Gary sadly watched as Misty walked out of the giant room with her head held high and her body shuddering ever so slightly. The brunette turned to glare at the rest of the people at the other people and he noticed the sad expression in Ash's eyes that clearly expressed how much he wanted to go after the redhead but was physically restrained by Dawn who was keeping him distracted as Misty looked back and saw that these people didn't need her.

* * *

Misty decided that taking a walk along the ocean was the best medicine for the sadness she was feeling at this moment. One hand was holding her flip flops and the other hand pushed back her windswept hair as her toes made contact with the luxurious sand beneath her. She loved this time of day because not many people were here and she could basically have the beach to herself. Misty decided to settle down on one spot and she let out her eight pokemon. Gyarados, Starmie, Golduck, Milotic, Vaporeon, Blastoise, Dewong, and Lapras all appeared onto the beach with red flashes and they cooed their names. Starmie hung close to Misty feeling that its trainer was feeling particularly sad today. Misty absentmindedly petted Starmie as she watched the rest of her pokemon playing in the water and in the sand. Gyarados and Milotic twined together and they looked at each other as Misty sighed once more. Hell, even her pokemon could find their own mates. What the heck was wrong with her?

The soft padding on the sand behind her had her tensing up and ready to fight off whoever was behind her. The person sat beside her and Misty was once again surprised to see the one and only Gary Oak sitting next to her. The tears had long gone from her eyes but the prolonging sadness in her eyes was still there. Misty turned back to face the ocean and watched the crashing waves. The smell of salt filled her nose and an indescribable sense of peace filled her, almost banishing the sadness from her heart.

"So...what's up Red?" Gary asked and Misty shrugged slightly before turning her head and drawing her knees closer to her chest. Only a faint smile graced his face, no arrogant smirk or hint of cockiness. Misty sucked in one part of her cheek as she tried to decide how much she wanted to tell the brunette. He was always so mean and rude to her, never understanding what she went through and he had been nothing but a nuisance to her the past few days. But the compassion in his brown orbs made her want to spill everything.

"Everyone's mad at me," Misty blurted out but mentally chastised herself right afterwards. Gary's face contorted to one of surprise as she revealed this. The girls had all seemed close a mere two days ago! Misty seemed to realize this as well and laughed at herself for the pure absurdity of the situation. Everyone always called them the unstoppable three and now it seemed like she was truly alone; her friends, the people she considered sisters, had abandoned her for some unknown reason and that hurt Misty more than any fight or words they could have ever said. People always said actions spoke louder than words, and every glare, silence, and cold shoulder that was thrown at Misty was like a giant slap in the face.

"That's...crazy," Gary finally found the words, though they weren't much and just reconfirmed every sullen thought bouncing around Misty's mind. She snorted lightly in a way that had Gary smiling. The redhead had to bite her lip in order to restrain her threatening smile. Who knew that the boy who annoyed the hell out of her fourteen years ago could have changed into someone like this?

"Ain't that the truth?" she said. After a pregnant pause, Misty got the courage to talk about what was really going on in her mind. "They're my sisters Gary. And Arceus knows what I did to make them act like this. But..." Misty trailed off and groaned. She looked up in surprise when she heard Gary scoff.

"Well some best friends and sisters they are!" he spat. Misty's eyes flared, her hands clenching into fists. Gary sighed and looked at Misty with such intensity that it had her temper immediately cooling down. "How can you still defend them? If people were my best friends or soul siblings, I would expect them to have my back at any given moment. To be my cushion when I'm falling, to always offer a shoulder to cry on. _To talk to me when something's going on_. You're going to hate me for this comment, but if this is how they treat you, then I don't think they're your friends."

"You're right," Misty sighed and Gary raised his eyebrows. "I do hate you for that comment! How on earth can you say something like that?" Misty exclaimed. Gary's eyes darkened and he started getting up. "Gary wait," Misty called out softly. She was surprised to see the hurt in Gary's eyes- she didn't think her words would affect him that much.

"Misty, look. You may think that I'm some heartless playboy jerk but I _do_ have a heart. I've had companions before who I thought were my closest friends and it turns out in the end, that apparently I have no one. And apparently, the people who I can possibly consider being my friends are you guys. Before this trip, I was going through a rough time because of certain people; I just don't want to see you going down the same path as me. Arceus only knows that you deserve the best," Gary responded. Misty's eyes widened and both of them were surprised at the sheer intensity of the moment.

"Gary..." Misty murmured. Something seemed to snap in Gary because his coffee brown eyes lost the sympathy and they reverted back to his cocky arrogant eyes. But there was still a hint of the vulnerable Gary.

"Well Red, it was nice chatting with you. I think I'm gonna go hit up a few places, meet a few girls," he said, though there was something in his voice that seemed like he was extending the invitation. Misty's cheeks lightly dusted red.

"Hmm, you, a convertible, and hitting up a few places to break girls' hearts? I think I better tag along just to save all the women of Bichi from millionaire playboy Gary Oak. My day's free anyway," she smirked. Gary smirked back and extended a hand; Misty bit her lip and took it.

* * *

Ash and Drew finally got away. Well, mostly got away from Dawn. Something about the bluenette was off today and neither boy missed the way that she had single-handedly manipulated every one of them to isolate Misty Waterflower. To say they were confused would be an understatement; to say that they were appalled with how May seemed to go along with everything the bluenette said was an understatement as well. Guilt was burning particularly strong in Ash's stomach. He should have known that there was something off with Misty the moment she walked in but he had been too immersed in Dawn to even talk to her. She probably hated him now; especially since, in a twist of events, it turned out that Gary was the only one out of the four of them who had the balls to go and talk to the poor redhead.

Drew had noticed the tension as well, but he also knew that May didn't share the same thoughts as Dawn. Call him creepy, but he knew every look, smile, and facial expression that the brunette broadcasted and he could see how forced everything she said was this morning. The brunette was probably in the middle, being torn between her two best friends. He noticed the frustrated and guilty look in his friend's eyes and stopped walking.

"Ash...don't blame yourself," Drew bluntly stated. Ash opened his mouth to protest. "Look, as much as you like her, we both know how much of a bi-bully Dawn was being today, and please don't deny it. But you also have to remember that she was physically keeping you down. And maybe it's a good thing that Gary went to talk to Misty. Arceus knows that they need to get their acts together and what better way of doing it than doing it together?"

"There is absolutely _nothing_ good with the two of them together because Gary will corrupt and ultimately break Misty. But I do know what you mean. Gary's been brokenhearted for long enough and it's time for him to get a taste of real friendship," Ash sighed. He explained when he saw Drew's confused look. "Someone broke his heart and he's been upping his game ever since. And I think that Misty is the best person to help repair it."

"Well then, let's hope for the best," Drew smirked. "You should probably tell Dawn that you like her...maybe that will calm the beast." Ash laughed while shaking his head, as if the whole idea was absurd.

"Ha, yea right!" he chortled. "Dawn doesn't feel that way about me and having her all guilty about me is definitely _not_ the way to go." Drew sighed at the raven-haired boy and shook his head. How could someone so good at giving out advice be so blind to something as trivial and obvious as this? "But I do know that you and May belong together. Now if you would _just_ tell her!" Ash groaned. Drew smirked while flicking his green hair.

"I was planning on telling her this trip," he stated smugly, thoroughly enjoying the dumbfounded look on Ash's face much more than he should have. "Yea, I've thought about it for a while now. I figured now is as good a time as any. But at least May is more relaxed here; she's been stressed and it's really not good for her," Drew said while his cheeks turned slightly pink at Ash's smirk.

"Aw man, you're totally whipped. Goodbye bachelor-hood, hello whipped boyfriend," Ash heartily laughed as Drew blushed even more and jammed his hands in his pockets. "Now if only I can figure out what's wrong with Dawn." Drew rolled his eyes and the two resumed walking back to their room.

"Ah, and you call _me_ whipped," he muttered.

* * *

Dawn and May walked along the beach, both unnaturally silent, lost in their own thoughts. May kept seeing Misty's heartbroken eyes in her mind and Dawn was trying to figure out ways to keep torturing Misty. Each girl was left to their own devices; each girl turned to the other simultaneously and opened their mouths.

"We should apologize to Misty," "We should keep ignoring Misty," both girls said at the same time and then looked at each other, wide-eyed. Dawn looked hurt while May looked shocked. The bluenette looked at her with glassy eyes and an almost quivering lip.

"May, how can you say that? Don't you know how much Misty hurt me? And she thinks that she can just gain everyone's sympathy by looking all pitiful and pretending to be all hurt by everything we say or do!" Dawn exploded, not even realizing how much of a hypocrite she sounded like at that very moment. May sighed and shook her head. "May, you've got to choose. Me or her?" Dawn said, placing her hands on her hips. "We've been through so much together, plus, I've known you longer. So who'll it be?"

"Dawn...please don't make me choose. I love both of you equally and it's not fair to either of you if I pick a side!" May exclaimed. Dawn continued to stare, unimpressed with May's outburst. The brunette looked down and sighed hoping that her friend wouldn't kill her. "I guess I choose you Dawn." May quietly admitted and Dawn squealed, hugging May close.

"Oh, I knew you would choose me and not that awful Misty! I never doubted you for a second!" the bluenette was full of smiles after May had said she would stick by Dawn. May resisted the urge to bash the bluenette over the head with something. It's not that she didn't love Dawn or anything, it was just that the navy haired girl tended to overreact to certain topics.

"Um...right..." May said and then spotted a certain green haired boy sitting alone on the beach. "Look, Dawn, it was nice chatting with you, but I have to go." May fake smiled at the navy haired girl and ran along the concrete pavement that led to the beach that Drew was currently occupying. She finally got far away enough from Dawn that she could stop faking her smiles and she just crumbled down. Guilt was literally oozing out of every pore in her body and she couldn't even remember a time when she felt like this. She was so occupied in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that she had reached Drew's chair and then accidentally tripped on it, causing the green haired boy to look up in surprise.

"You alright there June?" Drew asked, smirking. May glared at him but it was weak due to the surmounting guilt that was currently weighing down her body. Drew seemed to notice this as well and his eyes immediately softened. "Seriously May, you ok?"

"Yes...no... I just- Oh dear Mew I just don't know!" May sputtered, stamping her foot. "I'm probably the biggest a-hole out there and it's just because I can't stand up for myself! Dawn is being Dawn and Misty is just being Misty and I love them both and I don't want to have to choose between them. They're my best friends and my sisters and it's not fair to either of them for me to have to pick one and then unwillingly leave the other but I can't even say that anymore, can I? Because in my attempt to not choose one side, I chose one side! Argh, I'm just so freaking frustrated and all I want to do is just enjoy the freaking beach and the sun and the water with my friends but I just can't do that!" May was screaming her head off, catching the attention of onlookers and making them walk away from her as Drew watched the brunette let off some steam. If the situation wasn't so frustrating or serious, Drew would have laughed at the brunette's ability to just talk without breathing.

"May, May, just breathe. We all know that you weren't intentionally trying to choose one side. Look, just try to take a deep breath and calm down," Drew gently said, grabbing the brunette's wrist and pulling her to his side. May shuddered a bit.

"Drew, the whole point of this vacation was to relax. But all I got was drama...why can't anything be simple anymore, like it was ten years ago?" May asked softly. Drew started to trace random patterns onto the brunette's arm as she unconsciously shifted closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. Somehow, the scent and feel of Drew managed to calm her down and she slowly started to breathe.

"Now tell me exactly what happened," Drew said and May shivered a bit when she heard the low timbre of his voice. She turned her head towards him and was about to speak but honestly couldn't get any words out except for tiny puffs of air. "May?" Drew turned his head as well and when he shifted to get a better look at the brunette, their lips met and all thoughts went blank.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm apologizing for the smut in this chapter ahead of time so you guys don't yell at me. I really just needed to find a way to get Misty and Gary closer and I thought that high tensions and physical attraction was a good enough reason. So if you don't like M rated lemony stuff, I suggest you just skip the end of the chapter and pretend that all that happened was a kiss and they both went to sleep!**

**Now enough of insisten rambling, and let's get on with this chapter!**

**~Deepika**

******p.s you guys are so lucky I updated :) I'm trying to make it a goal to update once a week for each of my stories. Hopefully, if all goes well, you'll get a THSS chapter on Sunday!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Misty couldn't help but laugh as the wind blew through her hair as Gary zoomed through the roads of the Bichi reason. And Gary couldn't help but smile at Misty's smile and laugh. Compared to this morning, she looked far more relaxed and far more in her element than he had seen her during this trip. Contrary to what many people thought, Gary did have a heart and he didn't like it when people fought. He had long since matured from that snobby ten year old that didn't know the concept of humility and he was determined to let the woman next to him know. He had been half joking and half serious when he said that he was going to flirt with some ladies but he couldn't help hit. Again, contrary to what many people believed, Gary wasn't some confident man who didn't value anything but his great looks; he had been abandoned and broken enough to construct walls. And when he saw how Misty was looking at him with some kind of concern and warmth in his eyes, something just snapped in his brain and despite his heart's cries, he had gone into semi-panicked mode and he had immediately put his walls back up.

But now, he couldn't help but just be happy that Misty had agreed to go with him. The sadness in her eyes was just killing me because he was honestly a chivalrous man and he couldn't just let the girl have a sucky vacation and have it be his fault. Also, it didn't hurt to have her as company because the redhead was just as much attractive as she was a fiery ball of rage. Call him slightly shallow, but as a warm-blooded male, he just tended to want attractive company. Finally finding the place he wanted to show Misty, he parked the convertible and stopped the car.

"An ice cream parlor?" Misty asked, skepticism lacing her voice. Gary just smirked and got out of the car, Misty scrambling to keep up with him. "Dude, seriously, you could go anywhere on this amazing island and you take me to an ice cream parlor?"

"Whoa; don't you dare dis Vanillite. This is the best ice cream place in this entire region!" Gary playfully glared at her and Misty perked a brow. "Don't believe me? Just you wait Red, twenty minutes from now, you'll be singing a different tune." With that, he just continued walking to the parlor.

"Holy Celebi, 20 minutes just for ice cream? Ah, wait up!" Misty squealed and followed the brunette to the simple white shack.

* * *

May and Drew's eyes widened as they pulled back, faces both red as a wild berry. They stared at each other, sapphire trying to read chartreuse, following each move they made. May tightened her lips and was getting up and Drew was smart enough to get out of his stupor and grab her wrist and pull her towards him until his lips crashed onto hers.

"Drew..."

"Arceus, you have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that," Drew whispered and May flushed red but smiled brightly nonetheless.

"I bet not as long as me," she coyly smiled, snaking her arms around his neck. Drew smirked as one arm went around her waist and the other brought her head closer and their lips met once again. After another heated kiss May reluctantly pulled away and looked at the boy who had unwittingly spent the past 10 years with her. She didn't even realize how much he meant to her until it was time to say goodbye when they were 15 and she had felt a heavy weight on her chest. Now, five years later, and here they were, finally admitting feelings she, and probably Drew, had been harboring for Mew knows how long. "As much as I love this, and believe me I do, I think we should stop ruining people's vacation."

"I think my hotel room's free..." Drew said, a smirk blooming on his face. May grinned and started walking, Drew staring after her. May turned around and started walked backwards, her beautifully sculpted eyebrow.

"You coming Casanova?" she asked, playfully smiling at him. Drew grinned and ran after her, the two young adults excited to finally show each other how much they actually meant to each other.

* * *

"Holy Celebi, this is the best ice cream I've ever had!" Misty exclaimed as the amazing flavors melted on her tongue. Gary grinned and nodded, thoroughly satisfied with himself. "How in the world did I not know about this?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets. Now, because I was nice enough to treat you to some ice cream, you have to answer some questions." Gary nodded, bracing himself for a harsh rejection but relaxed when the redhead surprisingly nodded.

"Why do I feel like this is going to be some kind of cliché movie?" Misty smirked and Gary shook his head in amusement.

"What's your favorite color?" Gary asked, holding his spoon to his mouth like a microphone causing Misty's lips to twitch.

"Well that's a pretty dumb question. It's sea blue, just like the ocean." Misty smirked as Gary shrugged nonchalantly, giving an excuse that he just wanted to start out with light questions. "Ok then, what's your favorite color?"

"Jade green." Gary immediately responded and Misty perked her brow. "I don't know...there's just something about jade green that gets me thinking about things." he cryptically added on causing Misty to scrunch her brows in confusion. "Whatever, don't mind me. If you could choose just one pokemon out of your eight to bring around everywhere, which one would you choose?"

"Hmm... I'd probably have to go with Starmie, mostly because Starmie was my first pokemon and I can't honestly imagine not having her around with me." Misty replied with a wistful smile and Gary grinned. "How about you?"

"You're lucky that you could choose. I'm stuck between Umbreon and Blastoise...Blastoise was my first pokemon and we've been through so much together but Umbreon has been this amazing partner throughout my entire pokemon career as well as my research career." The brunette slightly blushed when he realized that he may have revealed more than was necessary. "Ah, sorry, you probably think I'm a complete dork now."

"Not at all! I wholeheartedly agree with your reasoning, nothing wrong with it," Misty replied and gave him a smile before eating more of the delightful frozen treat. "Next question? What? I'm actually enjoying this. Not surprisingly, no one except Ash, May, and Dawn have bothered to get to know me on this level."

"Seriously? Well then, I'm honored to have gotten to know you. Now, onto the next question. How did you get started on your journey with Ashy-boy? I know you were a gym leader before your journey but you suddenly left," Gary softly commented, knowing that they were getting onto a more serious level.

"Well...I never had the best relationship with my sisters and after a while...I got tired of them treating me like trash. I ran away from the Cerulean Gym when I was ten and I haven't looked back ever since." Misty replied, equally as soft. "I met Ash when he stole my bike and then got it electrocuted and fried by Pikachu. I never stopped following him, always claiming that I wouldn't stop until he was able to repay me or replace my bike. But you know, I was 10 and I was always so defensive, and I guess I..."

"Just wanted a friend." Gary and Misty both spoke at the same time and looked at each other; Gary with understanding and Misty with surprise that he actually understood her.

"Oh come on Red, don't look at me like that. You honestly don't remember how much of a snob I was back then?" Gary pointedly ignored Misty's ladylike snort. "There's a reason I got cheerleaders to follow me wherever I went." Misty grinned at the memory of the ridiculous cheerleaders that were always in the back of Gary's red convertible.

"Yea, they were pretty ridiculous. I honestly thought you just kept them there for their boobs," Misty smirked and Gary's face fell until he realized that Misty was just joking.

"Har, har Red, laugh it up," Gary rolled his eyes and Misty burst out laughing. Neither realized it but it was already late in the afternoon when they came out of the ice cream parlor and Misty glanced at her pokewatch, and noticed that it was already three in the afternoon.

"Hey, Gary, can I get a rain check for this little hang out? I really enjoyed the ice cream and I wouldn't be opposed to you showing me around this place a little more. I'm assuming you've been here before." Misty quickly added as an afterthought. Gary's eyebrow perked.

"Wow, yea, didn't expect that coming out of your mouth. What, you got a hot date for tonight?" he asked jokingly but when he saw her apologetic expression his eyes widened. "No way, seriously? Who?" Gary looked as excited as a ten year old trainer waiting to get their first ever pokemon.

"None of your business Oak," Misty replied in a singsong voice. "Now drive me back to the hotel you goof," she nudged his shoulder and Gary dramatically sighed but complied nonetheless.

* * *

Ash was walking along the shoreline when he spotted Dawn standing alone, looking into the ocean. Despite the way she acted this morning, he couldn't deny his feelings for the bluenette and he went up to talk to her, trying to ignore the staccato that was his heartbeat.

"Hey Dawn," Ash grinned at the navy haired girl, who in turn looked at him in surprise. Dawn nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Hey Ash, what are you doing here?" Dawn asked, a faint smile on her lips. Even though she was resigned to the fact that Ash was in love with Misty, she would never stop trying. She really liked this guy and Arceus help her if she was just going to give up.

"Was walking along the beach and saw you standing there looking pensive. It's vacation; what are you doing thinking so hard?" Ash grinned as he bumped her shoulder lightly and stood next to her, looking out into the ocean as well. Dawn just shook her head, knowing she couldn't tell Ash exactly what she was thinking about.

"Eh, oceans get me nostalgic. I keep remembering when we said goodbye and you had to leave on the ship and I stood on the harbor and stared at the ocean just thinking about where my life was going. Oh god...I'm rambling aren't I?" Dawn blushed and Ash gave her a side-glance.

"Nah, I think it's cute. It's funny how the ocean seems so vast doesn't it? And when you think about it, it's just another reminder of how small we are in comparison to the universe. We can try to think that we're so great and that we are the great conquerors of land and sea but in reality, we are just small particles in the vast expansion of the world. But then again, that could just be me," Ash blushed as well when he realized how stupid he sounded just then. But when he turned his head to look next to him, he saw Dawn's shining cobalt eyes filled with admiration.

"And here I thought Gary Oak was the poet in our group of friends," Dawn cracked a smile, referring to when she had freaked out when she had first met the brunette professor in training and had immediately asked him to recite a poem to her. Ash rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Good to know I'm being compared to him," Ash stuck his tongue out and Dawn laughed fully now as she saw the sour expression on his face. Patting his head, she turned to him with her arms crossed.

"Oh, don't look like a sour Purugly. You just said...it's vacation time and it's time to have some fun!" Dawn exclaimed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the boardwalk. "Now you either come with me to the Bichi fair or I throw you in the ocean and sacrifice you to the Sharpedo. Come _on_!" Dawn grunted a bit as she tried to pull him and Ash snorted as he knew that she was trying her hardest.

"Ok, ok, I'll come, just please stop trying to yank my arm out of my socket!" Ash laughed and Dawn blushed and dusted off her dress and started walking. "Geez, the things I do for you!" Ash called after her as the navy haired girl walked off.

* * *

Misty added the final touch to her hair and surveyed herself in the mirror. Although Dawn was usually the one to do hair and makeup for everyone, Misty wasn't incapable of making herself look drop dead gorgeous. Just thinking about the two other occupants of this room made Misty's heart pang. She always believed that when she finally got a date with a decent guy, she would be able to cheer and celebrate the momentous occasion wish her two best friends. '_Best friends my ass_' Misty muttered as she pulled on her heels. Grabbing her clutch, Misty hightailed it out of the room before either roommate could come back. She didn't feel like dealing with the drama that came with the three of them and she swore that when she returned back home, she would forget all about them and just make new friends.

She pressed the elevator button and when the doors opened, she was surprised to see May in boy shorts and a button down shirt and Drew standing right behind her. Words could barely leave her mouth as the three of them just stared at each other for a brief moment. Misty noticed the happiness in the other two's eyes and she softly smiled and nodded as she realized what had happened. May's eyes seemed to fill with tears as she returned Misty a watery smile and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry'. Misty's eyes seemed to darken and with a stiff nod she pushed her way into the elevator and let Drew and May get out. It took all of her not to go console the brunette when she heard a strangled sob and Drew's low mutters but she knew it was for the best. She was sure that May didn't mean for any of this to happen but it didn't mean it didn't hurt. The doors closed and Misty was left to her own devices as she took deep breaths. It wasn't like she had never been on a date, but this was the first time where things could actually lead somewhere. From what the redhead could gather, Trent wasn't a sleaze-ball or a creepy stalker, but an actually all around good guy who just wanted to have a good time.

A wave of excitement washed over her body as she got closer to the restaurant that Trent had told her about and it was almost one of those slow motion cliché scenes. The smile plastered on her face slowly fell as she opened the door and the bell chimed. Trent was lip locked with a girl with a familiar shade of blue hair. It took all of ten seconds for Misty to realize that Aqua had once again managed to take away a good thing in her life and Misty just ran out of the restaurant, ignoring Trent's calling of her name. God, how could she have been so stupid to think that something good like Trent could be in her life? Of course he was taken and in a relationship with the blue haired demon and of course they would just be making up now.

"Misty, please wait! I'm sorry!" Trent called and Misty turned around, tears pooling in her eyes and threatening to stream down her face. Misty angrily scrubbed her eyes, effectively ruining all of her hard word on her makeup.

"What's there to say Trent? I saw you and Aqua sucking faces and there's nothing more that needs to be explained!" Misty choked on the strangled sob and ran her fingers through her already disheveled hair. Trent ran a hand down his face. This was definitely not how he saw his night going. When he saw Misty cry and say that all her friends abandoned her, he couldn't even stop himself from saying that he would treat her to dinner. When Misty had said 'It's a date', he didn't bother correcting her because it was a perfect opportunity to finally move on from his longtime girlfriend.

"Look, I'm sorry. Aqua and I had broken up last week and I thought we were really done for sure. That's why I asked you out!" Trent tried to explain. His mahogany mop of hair was mussed from the make out session with his once again girlfriend and Trent shook it out to remove any traces of it.

"I understand ok? There's no need to worry!" Misty nodded but felt the tears pool back in her eyes as soon as she turned to walk away because that was something Dawn said and thinking of Dawn just brought her back to that deep dark place of insecurity and isolation. Trent groaned but Misty was already out of earshot. She was lucky that the hotel wasn't that far away but of course, all her luck just seemed to be going _wonderfully_ and her heel broke and she cursed using words that would make a sailor blush.

"Great, just mother effing great!" Misty screamed and people avoided her as soon as they took in her haggard appearance. She made her way to the hotel and was limping towards the elevator that just seemed to always contain the _best_ people in the world when she bumped into none other than Gary Oak who looked like he was going down to the beach resort club.

"Red? Arceus, you look like crap!" he exclaimed. Misty looked up, shocked. How in the world was that the first thing that came out of that boy's mouth? Wasn't he known for being some sweet talker? "Didn't you have a date tonight?" he quickly asked, grabbing her wrists before she was able to walk away.

"He had a girlfriend; I was just his rebound girl," Misty muttered and Gary winced knowing exactly how that felt. "Now if you excuse me, I have to go find a room to sleep in because it's obvious that May and Drew are going to be going at it like rabbits in my room." Gary's eyes widened.

"Mew, the boy actually did it? Took him long enough!" Gary snorted and couldn't help the feeling of triumph when he saw the watery smile on Misty's face. There was just something about this girl that made him want to be the real Gary and not the 'over-the-top-I'm-a-playboy-millionaire' type of guy that the rest of the world saw. "Sleep in my bed, Red," Gary said and winced at how bad that sounded. It was obvious that Misty thought that as well. "I _mean_, since there's no one else in my room and everyone else is ignoring you for some reason, we might as well hang out. It's not like I have anything else to do."

"I can't do that... I'm obviously ruining your night. You were going down to the club weren't you?" Misty asked softly. Gary shook his head and wrapped his arm around the not-so-fiery redhead.

"Nah, it's fine. It probably wouldn't have gone anywhere anyway," Gary smiled softly and once again, Misty couldn't help but feel captivated by Gary's sensitive side. Gone was the cocky and arrogant Gary Oak and in his place, a thoughtful, sensitive, and sweet Gary. "Besides, we can have a movie night and watch chick flicks while eating ice cream!" Gary smirked and nudged her shoulder. Misty blushed as she remembered back to earlier when Gary had gotten her to admit that after her failed dates she would cry and eat ice cream while watching stupid romantic comedies and other chick flicks, usually with Dawn and May by her side.

* * *

"You. _You_ are ridiculous, Gary Oak!" Misty laughed as the elevator dinged once more and the two of them stepped in. Gary pressed the button that would take them to the very top of the hotel and Misty couldn't help but roll her eyes and grin. "Wow Oak, penthouse suite, really?"

"What? When you're an Oak, rule number one is to always use it to your advantage. Wow that came out wrong," Gary laughed at himself and Misty shook her head in amusement, muttering 'Ya think?'. "Ok so tell me: Drew and May?" Gary asked before he could stop himself. Misty looked up at him with a look in her eye. "Ok, now what did I do?"

"Gary Oak, a _gossiper_? Do my ears deceive me?" Misty laughed and Gary shrugged trying to look nonchalant and not at all excited about the prospect of his two friends. There was only so long that one could avoid the warm and friendly nature of May Maple and how could he and Drew _not_ be friends when they had so much in common? "Well, for your gossiping ears, yes, I saw May in Drew's boxers and in one of his button down shirts and she had the 'I just got laid' look in her eyes."

"There's a look for those kind of things?" Gary asked in a confused tone. The elevator dinged and they both looked startled and walked out, with Misty patting his shoulder.

"One day you'll learn young Oak," Misty smirked though it morphed into one of surprise when Gary unlocked the door and led her inside. "Holy Celebi this place is huge." Misty felt the urge to whisper because this place was literally a castle. Gary snorted.

"Hello, penthouse suite!" the brunette chuckled and Misty rolled her eyes, walking around the hotel room with wide eyes. She had never been in a huge place like this and to say that she was overwhelmed would be an understatement. Misty reached the giant windows and look out with shining eyes when she saw the beautiful view that Gary had. There was a beautiful view of Bichi and the ocean looked like thousands of shiny sparkling fairies were dancing on top of it with the thousands of lights that the beach provided.

"It's beautiful," she whispered and Gary swallowed the giant lump on his throat as he watched her look out the windows. He almost had the urge to tell her that she was beautiful but he knew that all he would get would be a weird look.

"So, how about that ice cream?" Gary asked after clearing his throat and Misty suddenly seemed to remember where she was and what had happened in the course of just one hour. She blushed as she remembered that her makeup was ruined as well as her dress and her heels and she self-consciously brushed her fingers through her hair.

"Um, let me wash up first? I look like a mess," Misty giggled softly and Gary nodded, mentally berating himself for not offering her to use the bathroom or anything. Gary led her to the giant bathroom and Misty let out a low whistle. "Damn, should have totally expected this," she laughed and Gary let her do her thing but stopped before fully closing the door.

"Let me know if you need help undressing Red," the young professor smirked and then full on laughed as he closed the door just before a fluffy white towel hit his face. He closed the door, shutting his eyes and making his way to the nice couch. As he was pressing the button to reveal the giant television and ordering room service for ice cream he couldn't help but feel giddy. This was the first time (in a long time) that he was finally being himself. Just as quickly as the giddiness came, it left, being replaced with a huge shock of reality. '_What am I doing?_' Gary thought to himself. '_I'm acting like some love struck teenager, but I just can't help myself_'. Gary shook his head and banished those thoughts from his head. _'Whatever, I'm just a nice guy helping out the friend of a friend...I think. Nothing's going to come out of it...right?_'

'_What the hell am I doing?_' Misty thought as she stepped under the giant showerhead and nearly moaned when pressurized water sprayed on her back and hit her like a much-needed massage. This was probably what heaven felt like and even though she had just gotten her heart broken (again) she couldn't help but fall under the Oak spell. Not that she would ever tell Gary that because honestly, let's face it, he would probably take advantage of her and just ruin her even more. But the way that Gary made her feel was something she just couldn't deny. He had made her feel special and made her feel like she mattered when he gave up enjoying his vacation just to make her feel better about herself. '_Arceus, this feels so wrong...yet it feels so right. Oh Mew, what have I gotten myself into?_'

After spending twenty minutes in the shower, Misty got out and wrapped the towel around her body and opened the door only to realize that she had no clothes. After debating for a good three minutes, she softly called out Gary's name. Since the hotel suite was so big and so empty, her voice resonated throughout the entire room and caught the attention of the young man. He came running over to her only to see that she was standing outside his bathroom door awkwardly. In just a towel. Arceus help him.

"Uh..." Gary cleared his throat and caught Misty's jade eyes. "You, uh, called, Red?" Gary gave his best smirk but couldn't help it when all the blood began rushing south. Misty looked just as shell shocked and awkward as he did. While she was in the bathroom, Gary had changed into his nightclothes, which consisted of a pair of pajama pants...and nothing else. His toned chest and clearly toned biceps were standing out to her and she had to blink a few times before being able to say something.

"I, uh, don't have a change of clothes," she meekly replied and Gary's eyes widened, almost slapping himself for not remembering. "And I don't really want to go back to my room because, you know,"

"Say no more Red," Gary interrupted her and ran to the drawers where he had some spare clothes. He took out a black V-neck and one of his worn out button downs. As he walked back to Misty, said girl stared at him like he was crazy. "It's either that or no clothes. Not that I'm impartial to that kind of thing but..." Gary smirked, which grew when he saw the red stain on Misty's cheeks. The redhead snatched the clothes and closed the door, only to come out a few minutes later. Gary once again felt his mouth dry as he caught sight of Misty. The black shirt he had given her was huge on her and went past her butt and she had put on his blue button down over it but left it open. The open button down was longer than the black shirt and effectively made it look like she had spent the night.

"Thanks," Misty muttered as she made a beeline for the couch where the room service had already arrived. Although she felt loads better, she didn't feel like wasting Gary's attempt at making her feel better so she grabbed a spoon and took the tub of ice cream, plopping herself on the couch and tucking her legs behind her. Gary rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless and grabbed his own spoon, taking a seat next to her and switched on the television. Misty moaned as she tasted the delicious icy treat. "Arceus, there's just something about expensive food that makes it taste so good."

"Glad you approve," Gary smirked as he took his own spoon and stuck it in the ice cream tub. "God, you're right." Gary savored the taste as he let the ice cream melt on his tongue. Misty perked a brow and touched the cold ice cream tub to his chest. "Ow! The hell was that for woman?" Gary yelped and Misty couldn't help but laugh and just touch the part of his chest that she had subjected to the freezing torture. Both of them honestly couldn't deny the electric shocks that were threatening to consume them.

"I'm sorry...your ego was making an appearance again," Misty laughed and Gary pouted before smirking. "Gary?" Misty asked before she burst out into fits of laughter as Gary's fingers started wiggling at her sides. "Holy Mew you know I'm ticklish!" Misty giggled and squealed as she was pinned down on the giant couch. Time seemed to stop as the two stared at each other. Misty had her arms on his biceps and couldn't help her wandering thoughts.

"Apologize for hurting my ego," Gary demanded and when Misty rolled her eyes he tickled her again and she squirmed.

"Your ego doesn't need an apology. If anything, it needs a few good punches to knock it down a few notches," Misty quipped and Gary stuck out his tongue. Things quieted down and neither person said anything. Misty could feel her heart pounding and she looked up into Gary's coal eyes and swallowed thickly. "You're missing the movie," she remarked quietly. Gary blinked and then got off of her, grabbing the ice cream out of her hands. Misty pouted as she sat up and Gary didn't miss the way she shifted closer to him, almost touching his skin, as the movie progressed.

A few hours later, Gary found a passed out Misty laying her head on his lap, her little puffs of released breath tickling his leg every few seconds. Gary swallowed once more as he tried to figure out how things got this far. Gary wasn't usually one to bring a girl up to his hotel room unless there was some ulterior motive or things had gotten a little frenzied at the beach. But somehow, Misty was different. There was just something so universally _pure_ about this woman that made him not want to be the man that he was. He wanted to be someone that she could look up to or trust or come to when she had troubles. Needless to say, he was furious at the man who had made her cry like this, and he had half a mind that it was that stupid bartender that had caused them to have their first fight on this trip.

As Misty squirmed in her sleep, Gary couldn't help but think of how they were so alike. Each had gone through their fair share of struggles and even if Misty didn't reveal much about her past, he knew that they were both overshadowed by people they respected and cared about. Gary was actually really lucky that he caught his big break in Sinnoh years ago because without it, he'd still be his grandfather's assistant with absolutely nothing to do. There was also the fact that both were prone to heartbreak. Now Gary didn't know much about Misty, but if there was one thing he had learned in his ten plus years of knowing the fiery redhead, it was that she did not trust easily. Much like him, she had a very guarded heart and probably had walls that were stronger than his.

The song that accompanied the movie credits broke him out of his musings but Gary didn't mind much. In all honesty, both of the occupants of the couch couldn't tell the other what the movie was about. It was honestly just an attempt to keep Misty distracted from the dark thoughts and Gary felt that she had appreciated his effort. The semi empty tub of ice cream was currently sitting on the table and Gary couldn't bother to clean it up. Misty stirred as if she realized that the movie was over but Gary softly shushed her and ran his fingers through her hair to put her back to sleep. The poor girl had gone through so much today that it was just better to let her rest. Gary extricated himself from Misty and picked her up in his arms. He had to remind himself to not stop and keep walking when she unconsciously looped her arms around his neck and burrowed her face deeper into his chest. A smile threatened to burst on his face but Gary had to remind himself to stay calm and not take advantage of the vulnerable girl.

Just as he gently put her down on the bed, Misty's eyes opened and she caught Gary's eyes. The brunette seemed shocked as Misty grabbed his wrist and pulled him down so his face could meet hers. Their lips met and though Gary was shocked, he wasn't paralyzed enough to not respond. Misty slowly sat up without breaking the kiss and her grip on his wrist slackened and she eventually brought them up to cup his face. He couldn't help but deepen the kiss and when they finally pulled apart, it took everything in him to not let her kiss him. "Red, I love this, honestly, but I can't take advantage of you." Gary hoarsely tried to reason with her, the blood and logic slowly leaving one head and making their way to the other. Misty knotted one hand in his hair.

"I'm fine, I want this, really. In all honesty, you are the first person who really bothered to get to know me...and I know you feel _something_, whatever it is,"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Gary quickly smirked and brought his lips to hers again. He opened his mouth and let her tongue dance the dance of dominance, like two lone wolves fighting for the alpha spot. Misty's hands that were knotted in his hair slowly let go and started exploring his chest. Gary growled as her nails lightly scratched his chest and abdomen. He lowered her onto the giant king sized bed and she lay down, spread eagle wide, and let out a delicious mewl as Gary's mouth left hers with a _smack_ and slowly started to descend down her neck. His lips left a trail of fire as they sucked and nipped and when they reached a pulse point, he sucked until he branded her. The bright moonlight shining from the open window dimly lit the room as Gary's lips continued to move south.

"Arceus, Oak, whatever you're doing...don't stop," Misty gasped as her body arched up and the brunette ripped the button down from her body. He eagerly took off his black shirt until she was left with just a scanty black bra and lace panties.

"Well, well...what have you been hiding here Red?" Gary smirked and Misty rolled her eyes as Gary unclasped her bra. Leave it to Sir Arrogant Oak to joke while undressing a girl. Suddenly all thoughts were banished when his lips descended on her breast and he started to do magical things with his hands. She gasped as he pinched her nipple and then smoothed it out with his tongue. It didn't matter that this boy was probably the cockiest boy on the planet. He made her feel like she mattered and for that, she couldn't deny the tiniest of slivers of attraction that had currently led to this. Gary switched his attention to the other breast and Misty couldn't help but sigh in contentment...that is until he made her gasp when his hand sneakily stroked her center and she couldn't contain the strangled moan. Gary took off her damp panties and worked his finger magic as he slowly brought her to a high. Just as she was about to explode, he stopped and Misty literally growled until she noticed him shedding his pants and his boxers. Her mouth literally went dry as she realized what was happening.

"Gary..." she whispered as he descended down towards her. "Gary please stop..." Misty whimpered and the brunette heard the plea in her voice and looked at her, cupping her face in the gentlest of ways and her heart couldn't help but melt. His eyes bore into hers and he saw all the insecurity that she was revealing. "I...I'm a..." her voice trailed but Gary understood and suddenly this felt so much more important than just playing on silly feelings of attraction.

"Don't worry...you're doing fine," he softly reassured her and pecked her lips before entering her. Misty let out a soft moan that became louder as he started to move and he brought them both to the high that she had been waiting for. She exploded, him not long after, and they both collapsed on the bed, spent. Misty rested her head on his chest and their limbs tangled as both fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

**Haha WOW that just took a turn for the weird. I'm again really sorry about the random lemon that just appeared, the song I was listening to put me in that kind of mood and I just let my fingers do the typing. Also, I tried to make up for the random M stuff by making it as non-graphic as possible so I hope you guys like the chapter! Be sure to watch out (hopefully) for a new Those High School Sweethearts chapter on Sunday. Until then...thank you for liking, favoriting, following, and reviewing...it seriously means a lot! **

**~Deepika**


	6. Chapter 6

**Aw man, would you look at this? 2 updates in 2 days? Haha, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. For those of you who hate Dawn's guts right now will hopefully be a bit more sympathetic and happy with this chapter because we get poetic justice, yay! And hurray for implied Egoshipping fluffy smutty stuff! I absolutely can't get enough of those two and I'm going to try to keep this story as realistic as possible. So uh yea, thanks for sticking with me guys. I know I don't update a lot but when I do, I try to make sure they are quality chapters. It would mean a whole lot to me if you guys could review and such, but just the fact that you're reading this just makes me so happy!**

**Now enough of my insistent rambling, and let's get on with the chapter!**

**~Deepika**

* * *

_Chapter 6_

_.:._

Misty woke up in the morning with the sun shining brightly on her face. Since she hadn't had anything to eat for dinner last night, she was starving. However, due to yesterday's circumstances, she didn't want to go down for breakfast. As she noticed her bed companion, last night came rushing back but she honestly couldn't say she regretted it. Noticing her companion on the left, she slowly extricated herself from him and slipped on the clothes that Gary had supplied her from the night before and attempted to get out of bed when Gary's hand grabbed hers. Misty startled a bit but couldn't help the smile that blossomed her face when she felt herself be pulled back onto the bed. His lips were slowly attached to her neck and she soon succumbed to the wonderful feelings that were currently enveloping her. A soft moan escaped her lips but the slight pang from her stomach reminded her of why she got up in the first place.

"Oak, as much as I love this, I'm starving," Misty managed to gasp out as she felt his kisses travel further south. She suddenly felt a little colder when he pulled away and got up out of the bed. She stared unabashedly at his bare body, following all the contours and lines on his body as he bent down and pulled up his boxers and pajama pants. The smile he flashed at her sent chills down her body.

"Then you sleep. You've had a rougher night than I had. I'll make you something," Gary replied, already padding over to the kitchen to whip up something. Misty was already drifting back to sleep, the events of last night (not including the most amazing one) came crashing back to her as if a sack of bricks had just collapsed on her heart. She not only felt physically tired, but emotionally as well and couldn't help the soft sigh as Gary came back to her side to pull the covers up her body.

"You can cook?" she softly asked though only half-awake. She was alert enough to catch Gary's snort.

"Yea, there's more to me than what meets the eye," he smirked, half-jokingly half-seriously. Misty had just about drifted off to sleep when she heard Gary whisper "Arceus, you're beautiful" and he walked away to the kitchen.

The next time Misty came into consciousness was when she heard the sizzling of something being put over a flame. The smells of delectable eggs, toast, coffee, and sizzling bacon invaded her senses causing her stomach to growl and practically twist up in apprehension of food entering it. The smells started getting stronger and Misty blinked a few times only to see Gary approaching her with a tray full of delicious food. She sat up and ran her hand through her hair. Gary had set the tray down and was currently interlocking their fingers, pulling her impossibly close and capturing her lips in a searing kiss. He pulled apart, satisfied, but Misty quickly pulled him down once again to peck his lips.

This was entirely new for her, the whole relationship thing. She never had a boyfriend and she never had a night like this. No guy had ever treated her like the way Gary was treating her and it actually felt quite refreshing. Gary had grabbed the tray and set it on the bed. Misty's mouth was watering but she had to slow herself down in order to prevent the demolition of something Gary had clearly worked hard on making. She nearly moaned as she took a bite of the eggs. "God Oak, I didn't k now you could cook like this," she gasped as she swallowed the sustenance. Gary had a little smile on his face.

"Well, I'm humbled now that the great Misty Waterflower thinks that I can cook. My dream is complete!" he exclaimed while carefully climbing into the bed and under the sheets, making sure to get as close to her as possible. By now, Misty was beyond caring what he thought and had wolfed down the entire meal, causing Gary to laugh. Misty gave him a blank look and Gary immediately stopped laughing but tweaked her nose.

"Don't be embarrassed, it's cute. I like a girl who's not afraid to show someone how hungry she is. Most girls just eat a bit and then claim that they're too fat. You're different... I like different." Misty blushed, immediately embarrassed by his proclamation. She felt a wave of security rush over her and slowly shifted herself. She straddled his lap now and began placing kisses down his neck. She grinned as she felt his way of saying hello and giggled. He grabbed her hips in response but squeezed them hard when she shifted a bit on his lap. Hating to ruin the moment, she pulled away a bit.

"Gare, hate to be a kill joy but I just need to know... Where is this going? I don't want this, _us_, to just be a one-time thing," Misty whispered the last part and Gary grabbed her face, kissing her senseless. He pulled away and then flipped them over so that he was hovering over her. Gary kissed every inch of her face, punctuating the kisses on her cheeks, forehead, and nose.

"Wherever you want it to go," he whispered between kisses. Gary was just like Misty when it came to talking about feelings and he wasn't about to go and ruin this good thing they both had for now. Swallowing his rising feelings, he tried to ignore the haunting reality of the redhead's words. While he didn't want them to be a 'one-time thing' as well, he also didn't want to bombard her with all these feelings. Especially when less than 72 hours ago, they had hated each other's guts. Misty was beginning a thought in her head but with every assault on every part of her body he could reach, Misty felt her mind go blank. All she could think about was how perfect this moment was and how she never wanted it to end. Even though Gary's answer was not the one she really wanted to hear, it was enough for now.

* * *

Dawn woke up in the room all alone. It was a strange feeling that came over her, not seeing her friend or Misty in the room. She took her sweet time getting out of bed, seeing as how no one was rushing her and she didn't have anyone to meet. Looking at the time, she mentally cursed when she realized that she had missed the hotel's breakfast but then opted for ordering room service, which was probably infinitely times better. A thought crossed her mind and before she could strike it as being a bad idea, her body was acting as its own machine. She picked up the phone and dialed Ash's room number before even thinking about it. Drew picked up the phone with a groggy hello. Dawn was about to ask if he could get Ash when she heard a faint giggle and then Drew's labored breathing.

"Uh...Drew? If you're busy I can always call back later..." Dawn quipped, a smirk finding its way onto her face. So it looked like May had a nice night yesterday...

"No... He... uh, he's... he's actually o-on... his way there..." Drew managed to get out. Dawn could hear faint murmuring on the other line and clutched the phone hoping they wouldn't forget about her and just go at it with her still listening. "He should be coming to your room, last I heard."

"Ok, thanks Drew. And, uh, have fun. Congrats to you and May by the way. Happy boning!" Dawn snorted and quickly hung up the phone before Drew could say anything. There was a knock at her door and Dawn got up, not even caring that she was wearing extremely short shorts and a tank top to bed. Eager to finally start eating her food, Dawn yanked the door open only to stare at a traumatized Ash. His eyes were wide with shock and he quickly pushed his way into the room. "You ok there Ash?" Dawn asked. A part of her wanted to burst out laughing at his behavior but the other part of her was slightly concerned.

"I walked into mine and Drew's room and saw clothes strewn everywhere...and May's...uh...body parts let's say? The blankets didn't do a very good job covering her top half..." Ash gulped and physically shook his head as if that would make the mind-scarring images go away. Dawn gaped.

"Wow...um...good for her?" Dawn swallowed thickly. Ash took off his shoes and jumped on Misty's bed, a fact that Dawn couldn't overlook. "Make yourself at home why don't you?" Dawn smirked as Ash's ears turned red.

"Don't mind if I do Pinky," Ash retaliated. Dawn pouted at the nickname and picked up the phone again. "What are you doing?" he asked. He tried to ignore the insane amount of Butterfree in his stomach and tried to remain as calm as possible. It would do him no good to act like a complete goof in front of this girl but he just couldn't help it. Pretty soon, Dawn settled in on her own bed and waited for actual room service to come and feed them. Thankfully, the two of them didn't have to wait for long and fifteen minutes later, the food came and Dawn excitedly bounced off the bed and opened the door. A cart of delicious looking food was hauled into the room and the two of them began to eat. Ash racked his brain for some kind of conversation starter. He looked out the window and suddenly remembered why he had been coming here in the first place. "Dawn!" he cried and the bluenette startled mid-bite. "There's a three day carnival going on at the docks and I was wondering if you'd like to join me. There's food and games and rides..." he rambled. Dawn felt a smile about to burst on her face.

"Sure, I'd love to join you!" she happily beamed and began to eat her food again. Ash nodded, satisfied, and the two of them completed their meal in silence. After eating, Ash allowed her to get ready and about twenty minutes later, Dawn was ready for a day full of fun.

The two of them walked out of the hotel room and into the blazing sun of the Bichi region. The sun rays seemed to give Dawn a chock full of energy and she began to jump everywhere. The raven haired boy couldn't contain his laughter and the two of them made their way to the docks where the carnival was being held. The sight was magnificent- there were rides and games stationed everywhere you looked and multiple food stations could be seen at the entrance. Greeting them was an archway of different colored balloons and upbeat music was playing loudly. Children were running around everywhere with cotton candy in their hands and sticky mouths. Amidst all the craziness was a giant Ferris wheel that seemed to be the main attraction. Dawn couldn't contain the bubble of laughter that escaped her mouth.

"Ash this is absolutely amazing!" Dawn squealed and grabbed his hand without thinking, dragging him to all the games. Ash had no choice to follow, though it was painfully obvious to everyone but the girl who was currently dragging him everywhere that he didn't mind the slight manhandling at all. Giggling, Dawn brought him to a ring tossing game (where she lost and he won) and then the game where you had to knock down the Moo-Moo milk bottles with a ball within three times. Admittedly, it wasn't one of Ash's finest moments and he had to take everything in stride when Dawn won at this and he didn't, but Ash found that he strangely didn't mind. He loved the girl in front of him and no matter what was going on with the girls, he found that he couldn't help but feel this intense passion for this one girl. Ash certainly wasn't the type to commit and though he found himself as the mature one of his group of friends, he was still getting used to the idea of finding a girl and settling down.

After his father had walked out on his family, he was left with scars of a troubled childhood that had only intensified once his overprotective mother took the idea of 'overprotective' to a whole new level. Although she tried to shield him from the world and all its evils, he had seen one of the most evilest of things right in front of him. Over her years of being a single mother, Delia Ketchum hadn't stuck with one man and Ash had grown up with the idea of shielding his heart from other people. The idea that was etched into his head and his heart had been increasingly obvious with the amount of girls he had traveled with. While his male companion hadn't changed much over the years, he had a new girl by his side every time he traveled to a different place. It was sad, but it was the truth. And the guilt that was residing in the depths of his being were brought up by the fact that he knew that each of his companions had some kind of romantic feelings for him in the past, even if they were gone now. But Dawn was different- that, he was sure of. For the first time, Ash had felt something for the navy haired girl standing next to him laughing her head off at his inability to succeed at a 'man' task. Ash was used to using his immaturity and his humor as a deflection of shielding his heart of any feelings, Dawn had somehow squeezed her way into his heart.

"Ash! You're thinking too hard again!" Dawn nearly whined. Ash gave a hearty laugh that rumbled through his body. Dawn could only grin, her heart pounding as she noticed the content look on his very attractive face. She linked her arm with his and they made their way through the carnival's games and finally started to on rides but not before consuming copious amounts of delicious cotton candy. Dawn giggled as Ash's voracious appetite made an appearance and he suddenly started to consume almost everything in sight.

A feeling of triumph spread through her body- no doubt Misty never made Ash feel like this. Dawn knew she wasn't supposed to be thinking of the redhead now, not when she had Ash right in her grasps, but she couldn't help it. The intense thoughtful look that was present on Ash's face less than an hour ago left her feeling slightly insecure. He was probably thinking of Misty and Dawn just wanted to get her out of his head, wanted to show the Pokemon Master that there were better people out there; people who cared for him more than silly Misty ever could. It wasn't that Dawn blamed Misty for Ash falling in love with her, she was gorgeous for crying out loud, but that didn't stop the jealousy rearing its ugly head in her way. Dawn knew it was probably unfair for her to act this way towards Misty, but it just made her so mad. Misty always complained that men never liked her, but here was one, standing right next to her in fact, who probably loved her more than the entire world, and Misty was just ignoring it. Even if Dawn couldn't have Ash, and she _really_ wanted him, she also wanted him to be happy. And the fact that it felt like Misty was intentionally going out of her way just to ignore Ash's feelings for her just made her even more mad, and more determined to show him that he should get over the redhead who clearly didn't share any of the feelings he felt for her.

After a lot of food was consumed, Ash and Dawn decided to just walk around, the prospect of vomiting after an intense rollercoaster ride unappealing to both of them. The two of them just talked for a while, trying to learn a lot about the other and subtly flirting with each other. It was obvious how both of them returned to the hotel in the late afternoon, all of the festivities done for the day. It was Dawn who suddenly got the courage to shyly ask Ash if he wanted to go down to the beach with her. Grinning at the idea of spending more time with her, the raven haired boy immediately agreed. Dawn and Ash went up to the girls' hotel room where Dawn was going to pick up her bathing suit. As she inserted the hotel card into the key slot, Dawn was slightly surprised to run into May and Drew who were talking (actually talking) on the hotel bed. As she was about to greet her friend hello, May looked up and gave her a cold glare. It felt like a cold bucket of water had been doused over Dawn's body and her body tensed up. Drew looked up as well and Dawn could feel her heart clench as his green eyes were filled with an array of emotions, the most prominent being anger and disappointment.

"Hey guys..." Dawn softly greeted her friends, trying to test the water on how mad they actually were. She was confused as to what she did wrong. "Um, is something wrong?" Dawn asked, a hint of irritation creeping its way through her inquiry and May rolled her eyes, muttering something to her newly acquired boyfriend. The two of them simultaneously got up and were about to exit the room when they both saw an angered Ash blocking their way.

"What on earth is your problem you two? Why are you acting like this?" Ash demanded, immediately coming to Dawn's rescue. Dawn couldn't help but blush when she heard his protective tone and took note of his tense body posture. May's eyes softened at the sight of Ash but they were still cold ice chips when she opened her mouth to explain.

"You know, I usually have really good judgment and I can usually make really good decisions but it seems that something stopped me from doing that this trip. And when you figure out why this whole trip turned into shambles a few days ago, then you'd be disappointed in your choice of company as well." Turning to Dawn, the brunette continued her diatribe. "I really can't believe you Dawn! You know, if you could just take the time to come out of your little induced haze, then you would realize that every little thing that you were complaining about that night are completely false. You hear what you want to hear and you never get the full story. Maybe if you saw Misty and Gary, you would see that what you think and what's actually real are two completely different things. And even if it is true, you don't have to be such a bitch! I don't know if you know this, but Misty has gone through some pretty tough times and she already has a hard enough time trusting people, and maybe this is the reason why! You know what? You're not even worth my time! Arceus!" she ranted. Dawn's bottom lip quivered as tears welled up into her eyes.

"Arceus May, what the hell has gotten into you? You're acting like a lunatic. Dawn has absolutely done nothing wrong!" Ash defended her. Dawn felt guilt well up and bile made its way into her throat. Here was this amazing guy defending her honor when she in fact did do something wrong. But Dawn was too stubborn to believe that she was wrong. She had heard Ash and Gary firsthand argue about Misty and then it all clicked. Gary was in love with Misty. A plan formulated in her head and even though her conscience was telling her that this was probably wrong, a foggy memory had made its way to her forebrain. Grabbing her suitcase in one hand and grabbing Ash's hand in the other, she left the room with little protest from her companion.

* * *

May stared at the closed door feeling the ominous feeling of something about to go wrong. Drew had his arms around her waist from behind and couldn't see the brunette's worried expression. There had been a glint of recognition in the navy haired girl's eyes and May couldn't help but get the feeling that even though things were bad now, things were going to get even worse. While Misty was asleep, Gary had called Drew and explained a little of what had went on. It turned out that Misty had spent the night and told Gary some things that May hadn't even known. When she learned the things that Misty went through, a feeling of guilt, horror, and every range of sadness had consumed her soul and entire being. She had spent a good portion crying because she started to doubt herself. May usually prided herself on her impeccable judging skills and her ability to be the best friend a person could ask for. But somehow, through all of her success, she had lost sight of what was in front of her. She hadn't seen the signs, hadn't seen how Misty was slowly becoming more and more depressed.

_I should have known._

May should have known. She had known Misty for so long that she should have been able to see the redhead's sadness, her feeling of not belonging that always arose when people approached her for signatures and autographs. Misty had been in the shadows her entire life and even though she was one of the most famous trainers in all of the regions, there weren't many people who reminded her of that. It felt like May had let the success consume her and turn her into a person she didn't know. She used to be able to pick up on these types of feelings but now that she learned of Misty's feelings, or at least gained a slight glimpse into the life of the water mermaid, May couldn't shake off the feeling of how _utterly stupid_ and selfish she had acted with Dawn. She had let herself be dragged along into this campaign of jealousy and hate and had caused one of her closest friends, and sister, an immense amount of pain She could never live this down.

Drew seemed to sense her internal conflict and his head nuzzled the side of her neck, his peeking stubble prickling her skin in a delightful way. "It's not your fault May," he whispered as he fluttered kisses on the side of her neck. May sighed and turned around in his arms, her own arms snaking around his neck as she pressed a kiss to his lips. Somehow, she hoped that the green haired man in front of her would help take away the guilt that was currently eating her insides. He pulled away and looked into her eyes, searching them.

"I'm such an idiot dammit," May groaned, resting her forehead against his. This man, in front of her, was her entire world- her soul mate, her other half, the person who would unconditionally love her no matter how many mistakes she made along the way. Drew let one hand slide under her (his) shirt and his thumb started to rub tiny little circles on her skin. Their breaths mingled together as each one took in the other, trying to make sense of how this trip that was supposed to be the vacation of their lives had turned into unintentional warfare.

"Stop beating yourself up Maple. No one is perfect all of the time; everyone makes mistakes whether they admit it or not. And right now, you made one. So geez, call the press, you're not perfect; ok fine. You're _human_- you're bound to make mistakes. But at least you're trying to fix it. You decided what is right and what is wrong, and now is your chance to fix it. Talk to Misty and make things right. You and I both know that your friendship can survive something like this." Through his whole speech, Drew and May were in an intimate embrace, their bodies as close as humanly possible. May felt tears well in her eyes and berated herself for being so emotionally vulnerable right now. Reluctantly untangling herself from her lover's embrace she picked up the hotel phone and called Gary's room where she knew that Misty was currently in.

As the phone rang, Butterfree fluttered in her stomach. She felt as if she was going to throw up the longer the dial tone kept ringing. Just as she was about to give up and put the phone down, someone answered. "Hello?" May was greeted by Misty's cold and wary voice which only caused her to grip the phone harder in her hand. She had to swallow a few times in order to form words.

"Misty? It's May- we need to talk."

TBC...

* * *

**Ooh cliffhanger (not really). We all know I'm a sucker for happy endings and poetic justice and such so I'm pretty sure we all know what's going to happen. Or do we? Because I have a nice plan and anyone who guesses it will get a special little preview of one of my stories that I plan to release after I finish this story. As usual, thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows; they literally mean the world to me and make me feel good about myself. I guess that's it...so I'll see you guys next chapter!**

**~Deepika**


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh goodness, sorry this is so late you guys. But I came down with a case of writers block and I've been practicing for my SAT which is finally over so that will hopefully mean more updates now. I officially have 21 days of school yet and after that I'm going on vacation to California and then college hunting. So hopefully, I can have a laptop with me or something and I can write and/or update. **

**Anyway, I'll see you in my author's note after the end of the chapter! Now enough of my incessant rambling and let's get on with the story!**

**~Deepika**

* * *

_Chapter 7_

"May? You're here...so talk," Misty said, quite softly, but loud enough for May to hear the guarded tone in her voice. It broke the brunette's heart to hear someone who deserved all the happiness in the world to sound so despondent, but what happened in the past happened and it was her duty to make the future better. The four of them were currently in Gary's room (suite) and the guys were talking while May and Misty attempted to patch things up. Misty was sitting on the very couch she and Gary had spent eating ice cream and watching a movie just last night with her knees hugged at her chest. May was sitting on the opposite couch, eyes shining apologetically, attempting to rectify what had fallen into so many pieces just a short while ago.

"Misty, you have to believe me! I don't know what got over me. I" May swallowed, tears welling up in her eyes all over again. "I was such a jerk and that's not who I am. Life, this job, the people, the glory- all of it just consumed me and I never saw how upset you were over this. I was wrong not to pay any attention to you while you were suffering!"

"May, I know this is hard for you to wrap your head around this, but I've always been in the shadows. You and Dawn are famous, practically movie stars, while I'm just plain old me, hiding in the background as always. You know about my parents and you know about how much I hate my sisters yet you willingly abandoned me for someone you've known for a shorter amount of time. If you're able to switch feelings like that so fast, how do you expect me to trust you? How can I even trust myself to be me around you anymore?" Misty argued, unwilling to accept May's apology. Even though she knew it was unfair and the brunette hadn't really done much wrong, she had lost the ability to trust people all over again.

"And why can't you wrap _your_ thick head around this? People care about you! I care about you, Ash cares about you, hell, even Gary cares about you! You're so stubborn and so used to people abandoning you that you've completely shut anything and everything out of your life. Remember all the good times we used to have? What happened to those? Why did it suddenly become so competitive and so fan-base oriented when the only thing that used to matter to us was being the friends we had vowed to be no matter what happened?" Tears were streaming down May's face but she wasn't about to let this friendship go. Things had been so bad for so long, it took this supposed-to-be-relaxing trip to realize it. Misty sniffled, unwilling to let May see her tears.

"What's wrong with us? We're fighting! We never used to fight, even when we both had crushes on Ash. Why is it so different now?" Misty whispered. May made a bold move and shifted closer to Misty and grabbed her hands.

"It doesn't matter now. I know I haven't been the best of friends and I know that you think I'm completely unworthy of your trust now. But if you could ever find it in your heart to forgive me, I promise I'll do better. I promise never to leave you in the dark again and I promise never to let your sadness ever get this bad again." May vowed, squeezing the redhead's hands for good measure. Misty gave May a watery smile, the feeling of joy consuming her entire body. It felt so good to be able to trust someone again and even though Misty knew it would be a long time before things could go back to the way they used to be, she would take what she would get.

"I've had such a shitty trip it's not even funny," Misty began thickly. May grew silent, willing to hear the story from her friend. "I mean, when we got here, things were already taking a turn for the worse. I felt so unwanted and unneeded, especially when I saw you and Drew and Ash and Dawn just being all couple like. Gary had insulted me and made me feel worthless and then all your fans came up to you to get your autograph while I was just stuck standing in the shadows because no one knows who I am. And when I saw you, someone that I loved dearly, being adored while I was virtually all alone, those thoughts started to form again. I tried to stop them, tried to put on a performance that would even make me smile and the one time that I achieved that, my stupid cousin Aqua had to come and ruin the whole thing. I've always had trouble proving myself to my family and friends, and seeing someone so amazing and so successful just kind of drove that home for me.

"And then that whole night happened. That was pretty crappy too, if I'm being honest with myself. We went to that party on the beach and Dawn made me feel like the most beautiful girl on the planet. I was having fun, flirting with this really cute bartender, albeit slightly tipsy, but sober enough to make good judgments, when Gary butted in." At this point, it was hard for everyone to not hear this story. Gary felt terrible because he had no idea how much his words had affected this beautiful and miserable woman. He knew that if he could, he would take it all back. "And then that whole thing happened. I... I was coming to you guys for advice because I knew that if anyone could make me feel better about this whole thing, it would be you guys." Misty's voice had begun to tighten and it was painfully obvious that she was close to tears. "And when I walked in... you gave me the coldest glares I'd ever known to man. I was so confused but I didn't want to make anything worse. I wanted them to get better, I _needed_ them to get better.

"You siding with Dawn...after all those mean things that she said and didn't say, that just broke my heart. I had no idea what I did wrong or what to do to fix it!" she stopped her story as a sob ripped through her body. May was shaking now, trying her best to hold the tears in.

"I heard you crying that night and I don't think you can imagine the amount of guilt that just flooded me. Hearing you cry for hours upon hours... Arceus, I don't even know what I was thinking back then. Dawn had said things and somehow, I don't know, she kind of pressured me into siding with her? It's stupid, I know, but I want you, no _need_ you to know that if I were able to turn back the clock three or four days ago, I would take all of it back," May sniffled. Misty's sobs had slightly subsided and now silent tears just trickled down her face.

"I went to the beach that night to clear my head and that cute bartender, Trent, was there. He had just finished his shift and he saw me sobbing. He was a serious sweet talker because not only did he console me and call me beautiful, but he managed to convince me to go on a date with him. Of course I agreed because I had only been on a few dates before. I don't even know what came over me or why I even trusted him in the first place." A dry and humorless laugh escaped Misty's mouth. "It turns out that he and his girlfriend had been going through a rough patch lately and I was just some rebound girl so he could try and get over her. And here's the kicker; that long time girlfriend? It was Aqua. I didn't think I could feel even more depressed but then that happened and everything went to hell. This was supposed to be relaxing and stress-free, and now I'm an emotion wreck and I still don't even know what I did wrong! Gary was there to console me after my failed date. I guess it's thanks to him that I'm still here." Misty concluded her story. The tears had finally escaped May's e yes as soon as she heard the last sentence. Misty had been battling depression for Arceus knows how long, and May didn't know if 'still here' meant still on the island or still alive.

"The night of the party...I was with Drew, dancing and having the time of my life, when Dawn came to me after trying to find Ash with tears streaming down her face. We decided to walk back to the hotel room and I asked her what was wrong when she began to claim that Ash didn't love her," May explained. Misty perked a brow in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? That goof is head over heels in love with her! What could ever give her such a crazy idea that he didn't like her?" Misty laughed incredulously. May shrugged.

"Well, according to Dawn, she heard Ash say that he loves you. And Dawn had never been more heartbroken in her life. She began spouting off these things, saying that you were ungrateful for all of the things in your life. I just...she was saying all these things and I couldn't help but think that she was right. I got this idea in my head that you were keeping things from us, that you didn't trust us, but I mean, I was obviously wrong wasn't I?" Misty furrowed her brows in confusion. Gary couldn't take it anymore because even he felt the guilt overwhelming him. There had just been so many misunderstandings and stupid comments from him on this trip that had just ended up exploding right in front of their faces.

"Ash was saying that he loved Misty like a sister. I was complaining to him about how Red here was letting guys take advantage of her and he yelled at me saying that I didn't know her. Ashy boy was just trying to defend her saying that I had no right to intrude on you and your private life, which was very true, and how he knew her better because they were close like siblings." Gary winced as he realized how one simple comment could spiral everything out of control.

May gaped, her whole body still trembling. "So you're telling me that this whole trip that turned into shambles is because of one simple misunderstanding?" Drew took a seat next to his girlfriend, pulling her towards his chest. Gary sat behind Misty as well but did nothing but wrap an arm around her shoulder. A soft smile blossomed on the brunette's face. "Well at least a few good things came out of this epic fail of a trip. Me and Drew finally got together, and you and Gary finally stopped hating each other," May grinned and Misty rolled her eyes as a blush overtook her face. Gary had a cheeky smirk on his face as well.

"Yea Red, we finally got close," he grinned devilishly and Misty gaped as May giggled and Drew snorted. She felt her entire face go tomato-red and buried her face in her hands. Things seemed to be looking up but as always, Misty knew this wouldn't last long. Even if the people next to her denied it, she knew that she wasn't someone who got happy endings. Misty knew that whenever something good in her life occurred, no matter how remotely amazing, something seemed to always rip it away.

* * *

"Dawn, where are we going?" Ash asked, a sweet smile on his face. Dawn was leading him to the beach that the hotel looked over but neither of them were dressed to go into the water. Dawn tightly smiled at him as she dragged him even further through the sand and quickened her pace. A flash of hurt and confusion passed through the raven haired boy and he was extremely confused as to why Dawn was acting like this. They seemed to finally reach their destination when Dawn began to wave her hand to a figure that was too far away for him to recognize. Finally, the person got close enough for Ash to see them. There was a sudden sinking feeling in his heart and stomach when he saw a familiar hue of blue hair approach them with a devious smile on her face.

"Aqua?" Ash stuttered, unable to fathom a reason of why Dawn would want to meet with her. Said girl gave him a faux sweet smile and turned to Dawn, discerning eyes gleaming and mouth set into a permanent smirk.

"You rang?" she narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the bluenette. Dawn swallowed but stood her ground, unwilling to let the teal haired girl intimidate her. Misty had told stories of her several times, mostly about how this blue haired girl had terrorized Misty throughout her childhood and how she had basically taken the place as the fourth Waterflower sister.

"Yea, there are a few things I need to discuss with you," Dawn said cryptically but Ash couldn't help but get the feeling that they were going to talk about Misty. It was no secret of the thick tension that bode between the bluenette and the redhead. And although he didn't always like to take sides, there was something inside of him that urged him to side with Dawn. Dawn turned to him. "Ash would you be a sweetheart and wait here while Aqua and I discuss some things?" Dawn asked. Ash literally felt sick to his stomach. He knew that as a long time friend of Misty and as her older brother, he should seriously steer Dawn away from the acclaimed she-devil, but as usual, unwilling to deny Dawn of anything, he abided her request and stood to the side, all the while feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.

Dawn, on the other hand, was slightly excited. She knew that Aqua had this whole 'I hate Misty' vibe going on and it was exactly what she needed. Crossing her arms across her chest, Dawn pursed her lips and tried to formulate a plan to get back at Misty once and for all. She had no idea how things had gone so far, but she knew that once this plan was set in motion, there was not going back. Aqua seemed to be thinking the same thing because she had a skeptical look on her face.

"Are you sure you're willing to do this? I mean, like, aren't you, like, best friends with Misty?" she questioned in her valley girl accent. Dawn grimaced and shrugged nonchalantly though she felt a pit of fire bubbling in her stomach.

"I'm sure. That bitch has been nothing but trouble for me and nothing would make me happier than to see her fall," Dawn snapped, taking caution to lower her voice so Ash wouldn't hear her. No doubt he wouldn't approve if he heard what Dawn had in mind for Misty. Aqua looked at her nails, seemingly uninterested in what Dawn had to say, but looked up with hooded eyes.

"Alright then, what do you propose?"

* * *

"So do you guys want to head down to the fair? I heard it was amazing from all the chatter and the media," May suggested. The four of them were still occupying the white couch, tears long gone though remnants of tear tracks were present on both of the girls' cheeks. Misty debated the request, absentmindedly playing with Gary's fingers. She and the Oak boy hadn't left the room much except to go to the pool or to go to the dining room. It wasn't that she was ashamed of what was going on, but she was just nervous to finally reveal to the world that she was seeing Johto's number one most eligible bachelor.

"I don't know..." Misty trailed off. May gave her the famous Maple puppy dog eyes and Misty looked away lest she be transfixed and hypnotized by them. Gary nudged the redhead, delighted with the idea of showing Misty off to the rest of the world.

"Aw, come on Red! It'll be fun! Besides, you'll have these two here with you so you're not just stuck with me," Gary smirked, half-serious half-joking. Misty's eyes softened and May and Drew got up to explore the penthouse suite in order to give them a bit more privacy. Cupping his cheeks in her hands, Misty gave his lips a quick peck and looked dead in his eyes, gaze unwavering.

"I'm not ashamed of being with you Oak, if that's what you're thinking. I'm just nervous because you're the first relationship I've ever been in and I'm nervous as hell. You make me feel things that I've never felt before and that makes me nervous," Misty admitted to him. Gary stared at her disbelievingly.

"You're kidding me right?" he asked. "You've never had a boyfriend, never had a relationship?" he asked and Misty looked down, blushing as she shook her head no. "I find that hard to believe, but I guess you wouldn't lie. I really don't understand how a gorgeous girl like you could never have a guy wrapped around her finger," Gary honestly told her, straight faced serious.

"Oh stop it, now you're just trying to sweet talk me," she rolled her eyes, attempting to get up and go change into something more acceptable. Gary grabbed her wrist and squeezed it, giving her a sweet smile that sent Butterfree fluttering throughout her entire body. "I..." she trailed off blushing. Shaking her head, Misty ran off to get changed, not noticing the knowing looks of one May Maple and one Drew Hayden.

The four friends made their way to the mass of lights and music that could be seen clearly through the hotel. While May and Drew were all wrapped up around each other, Misty was barely touching Gary, still uncomfortable with the idea of having a guy as her company in a manner that wasn't purely platonic. They entered the archway and were immediately bombarded with the sights, smells, and loud music playing in the background. Eyes lit up, it wasn't until she entered the fair that Misty realized that she hadn't been to a carnival or fair since she was a little girl. A small bubble of laughter escaped her lips and her three companions shared looks of satisfaction at her true happiness.

"So what do you guys want to do?" May asked with sparkling eyes and a giant smile on her face. It was apparent that Misty wasn't the only one being transported back to childhood. "How about we split up? Me and Drew and you and Gare? That way, we can do what we want then meet back up to get some dinner. Agreeing with the plan, four became two and Misty and Gary decided to wander around the fair to see if anything caught their eye.

It seemed almost surreal. The sun was at its most gorgeous state, the sunset almost frozen in time and giving the entire region a hue of purple, pink, and orange. Misty and Gary had somehow joined hands at one point and though it caught Misty by surprise, she was surprised at how ok she was with the recent development of their relationship. Suddenly, the redhead caught sight of one of those hammer games where you had to take the hammer and whack it as hard as you can to attempt to reach the top and chime the bell. Gary noticed her interest in this game and smirked as he dragged her over despite her vehement protests.

"You sure you can do this Red?" Gary challenged her. Misty gave him a quick look of disbelief and grabbed the hammer from the floor. She imagined she was ten years old again and she whacked the hammer so hard that it hit the bell in a matter of seconds. The man stationed at this booth stared at her in slight fear and slight respect, meekly showing his selection of plushy prizes. Excitedly, Misty grabbed the Blastoise stuffed animal and hugged it victoriously. Gary decided not to sell himself short and when he went, he hit the bell as well and the stationed man narrowed his eyes and reluctantly allowed the brunette to pick his prize as well.

"Years of practice Oak, years of practice. Traveling with Ash sort of trains you to controlling your anger and only unleashing it when you have a mallet in your hand," she stated proudly. Snorting, Gary led them around the fair and together, they literally dominated the entire place. It was probably a bad idea to allow two majorly competitive people come to a highly competitive place but it was here that Misty realized how happy she actually was. It had been a long time since she had felt this kind of joy and quite frankly, it was very refreshing. Gary looked at her from the corner of his eye and felt his lips tug as he saw her beaming smile. She shyly peeked over at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked, already wiping her lips and cheeks. Gary shook his head and continued to stare at her. "You're so weird Gary," she laughed and continued to walk around, mesmerized by the sights.

"That girl..." Gary smiled while sighing, mentally rolling his eyes at himself when he realized just how lovesick he sounded. "Hey, wait up! You're going to take all the good prizes!" Attempting to catch up with Misty, Gary started to run and when he turned his head, he thought he saw a flash of blue but when he turned again, he didn't see anything. Narrowing his eyes, Gary decided to ignore it and continued on his mission to find his... Gary suddenly realized that he didn't know what to call Misty anymore. When he was younger, he would have called her his rival or Ashy boy's friend. When he got a bit older and he and Ash made up, he would have called Misty his 'frenemy', a friend and an enemy. Even three days ago, he would have just called her an acquaintance. But now, after they had slept together and after she had literally poured out her heart to him, he couldn't just think of her as just some random girl. Gary Oak was head over heels with a girl and he couldn't help but become worried. He didn't have the best track record with girls and keeping a relationship going wasn't his strong suit, so to speak.

"Gary Oak, you're thinking too hard. This is a vacation," Misty grinned and grabbed his hand without thinking. He felt an electric tingle and he subconsciously tightened his grip. "You ok?" the redhead asked sweetly. Looking up at the amazing girl next to him, Gary smiled softly and squeezed her hand while nodding.

* * *

**Oh gosh, things are heating up. It's going to be real trouble in paradise now! (too cheesy?) Haha anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter for what it's worth. It was a kind of spur in the moment thing all written in like one day. As always, thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed, it seriously means the world to me. I guess that's it, so I guess I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**

**~Deepika**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alrighty guys, we're boiling down to the second to last chapter, at least I hope so. Shit's starting to get real serious so just deal with the drama and I can promise a mostly happy ending. Now, there's one thing you have to understand. Before any of you start yelling at me that Misty knows that all Aqua does is spew lies, just remember that Misty is in an extremely vulnerable state and basically whatever someone says just resonates in her mind and even if that person is completely unreliable (cough Aqua cough), the words just tend to sink in and you just can't help but believe them.**

**I apologize for the massive delay but things have just been all over the place. I will finish this story by the end of the summer and probably by the end of this month, so we can all give me a round of applause for that. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter because even though I worked on it for like...one day, I still poured my heart into it and tried to make it as realistic as possible. **

**Anyway, enough of my incessant rambling and let's get on with the chapter!**

**~Deepika**

* * *

_Chapter 8_

The days had seemed too perfect. Misty was enjoying them; don't get that wrong. But for someone like her to have amazing days filled with the amount of happiness she was currently filled with was something that was short lived. If there was one thing in Misty's short amount of time on Earth had taught her, it was that girls like her didn't get true happiness. And there was a niggle in the back of her mind that warned her that something bad was about to go down.

The redhead was currently swaddled in luxurious sheets, wrapped in the arms of one Gary Oak who had made her awful vacation become something more. She shifted gently and then untangled herself from his arms but not before kissing his forehead lightly. Throwing on one of his button-ups and making herself a cup of coffee, she opened the doors that led to the balcony of the penthouse suite. The crisp morning air was enough to give her goosebumps but the hot mug in her hands helped to warm her up and the moment the salty air filled her nose, she couldn't bring herself to care about her lack of clothing. The light breeze sifted through her hair and the view of the ocean brought a sense of calm into her soul. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind and Misty sighed contently and let her head fall back onto Gary's shoulder. His lips were near the hollow of her throat and he tantalizingly moved upwards so his lips were right on the shell of her ear.

"The bed feels lonely without you," he whispered and she giggled softly as he nipped her ear lobe and nuzzled her neck. "Arceus, this is so strange, feeling like this. It's like...after all this time, I finally feel complete, like, I'm able to be myself," he murmured and though Misty knew he was telling her something important, her body couldn't help but respond to the sex low timbre of his voice. She murmured something in agreement before he captured her upside down lips in a short but heated kiss. Misty sighed into his mouth before they pulled away.

"Call me crazy, but I can get used to this," she lazily smiled. Gary nodded in agreement and they just stayed together as they watched the sun come up completely and the slow but steady emergence of people on the beach. It was quite a peaceful morning and Misty really couldn't believe that she was really living life like this. Maybe the vacation wouldn't be so bad...

* * *

Dawn was beyond angry; at this point, she was fuming and pacing, causing people to look at her strangely. Impatiently running her fingers through her long blue hair, she growled and kicked at the sand. While she and Ash were having a marvelous time, Dawn didn't forget how Misty was acting towards Ash. Last night, she had gone to the fair, and lo and behold, who did she see but Misty Waterflower and Gary Oak walking hand in hand and being all couple-y.

While Dawn was completely and utterly head over heels for Ash, she knew that her raven-haired friend loved Misty. She couldn't believe the utter betrayal that Misty had committed. Everyone knew that Gary and Ash were rivals and basically hated each other. The fact that Misty didn't return Ash's feelings was one thing, but being with the person Ash probably hated the most just appalled her. Feeling as if she had no other choice, Dawn had called Aqua and asked if the blue haired girl could meet her on the beach. If Dawn was being honest with herself, she would now admit and say that Ash didn't deserve Misty at all. So the only choice she had was to make Misty suffer and pay for hurting the person she loved. And if there was one person who knew Misty better than anyone else, it was Aqua, Misty's cousin. She was going to end this once and for all and Misty would finally get what she deserved. There was a tap on her shoulder and Dawn spun around, relieved to see that it was just Aqua. Said girl flipped her hair and looked at Dawn with contempt on her face.

"You called?" the light blue haired girl asked, crossing her arms and looking like she would rather be anywhere else in the world. "The only reason I even agreed on coming here is because you mentioned my dear cousin. So spit it out and don't waste my time."

"Look, I don't like you and you don't like me. But we both hate Misty and since I've found a bit of juicy gossip that could potentially ruin her so if you want to see her go down then why don't you just shut your mouth?" Dawn snapped and Aqua immediately shut her mouth. "Good. Now, yesterday I was wandering around the fair when I saw dear old Misty strolling hand in hand with none other than our very own Gary Oak. They've definitely been sleeping together; I've never seen Misty look that happy."

"Good...we can work with that. Just a bit of magic of rumors and we'll be home free," Aqua replied happily, a hint of malice appearing in her words. Dawn swallowed, knowing it was too late to back down now, no matter how guilty she felt. "Now, you know for a fact that Misty was a virgin and never had a boyfriend before?" Aqua asked, her brain whirling with all the possibilities. Dawn nodded again, looking around and panicking when she saw Ash approaching them with an undecipherable expression on his face.

"Change of plans. Ash is coming right now, so just think of something and we'll go with it," Dawn hissed and her expression changed to one of happiness as she saw the raven-haired boy come towards them. "Hi Ash! How's it going?" she smiled innocently, a look she knew worked with him all the time.

"Dawn...Aqua?" Ash asked uncertainly. He knew how much Misty hated her cousin Aqua and ever since then, he never trusted the light blue haired girl. He was confused though, because he was unsure of why the girl he liked and the girl he severely disliked were being all buddy-buddy. "What's going on?" he asked. Dawn's expression expertly morphed into one of sadness. With her eyes shining she looked at the pokemon master and took a deep breath hoping he wouldn't react too harshly.

"I was wandering through the hotel and I saw Gary and Misty together..." she began. Ash's face scrunched up in confusion.

"That's great, I've been hoping they would finally get along," Ash narrowed his eyes, not knowing where this was going. Dawn took another deep breath.

"Yea...they were walking hand in hand...and I saw them kissing and going into Gary's hotel room. A while later, I saw Misty in just Gary's shirt," Dawn explained and seeing the hurt and betrayal in Ash's eyes, Dawn bit her lip. "I'm really sorry Ash..." Aqua took over and when she turned around, she had tears streaming down her face.

"Aqua? What's wrong?" Ash asked, panicking slightly. His head was spinning and he was so confused, not even knowing what in the world was going on. Aqua sniffled and quickly wiped her tears away.

"It's just...Gary and I were kind of an item and suddenly, I...I felt him distancing himself from me and I...I didn't know why until now. Misty stole Gary from me!" she wailed and Ash was flooded with a wave of emotion that he never thought possible. Thoughts of Misty flashed in his head, all pedestals he had placed her on shattered and he began to wonder how he could have ever trusted her.

"No...that's not possible. Mist would never do something like that," Ash whispered, hurt apparent in his voice. None of this could be possible...but it explained why Misty was suddenly hanging out with Gary more and why Gary seemed to come to the redhead's defense more quickly these days. "How could she?" he asked, shaking his head. Dawn placed her hand on Ash's shoulder but he just roughly shrugged it off and shook his head once more. "I...I need to think." Ash said and walked away. Dawn looked after him, biting her lip. Aqua turned to the navy haired girl and smirked.

"Phase one done. Now let's go find Misty and Gary," she grinned evilly. Dawn took a deep breath and nodded, somehow feeling that things were about to go really wrong.

* * *

Misty and Gary had decided to finally exit the hotel after spending a relaxing morning together. Misty smiled as Gary slung his arm around her in a casual way and snorted as he recalled stories from his and Ash's childhood. She was laughing about something when a voice from behind them startled them from the high.

"So it is true," Ash whispered causing both Misty and Gary to turn around, having the decency to look guilty. "Seriously? What the hell are you doing with him Misty?" Ash grated his teeth as he began to go berserk with the thought of his little sister and his former childhood friend sleeping together and just being a couple. Misty raised an eyebrow, looking surprisingly calm.

"And what's it to you? Why is it so wrong that I'm with Gary?" she asked and Ash fumed, eyes steeling and biding his rage.

"When it makes you become a whore, there's everything wrong with it," Ash lowly said. Misty's eyes widened and she felt her legs turn into jelly as Ash said those hateful words to her. She faltered in her speech and tears flooded her eyes as the dark thoughts threatened to take her over again.

"What are you talking about?" she choked out as Gary held her tighter and slowly moved her behind him. Ash rolled his eyes and threw his hands up as if Misty was being stupid.

"You damn well know what you did! Getting in the middle of someone's relationship isn't something I'd expect from you Mist, but I guess I never really knew you well to begin with," he spat and walked away. "Never speak to me again you dirty bitch." Misty reeled in shock and fell into Gary's awaiting arms. Tears were streaming down her face and her face was morphed into eternal shock. Gary began to rub her shoulders to calm her down as her body was shaking with tears.

"Sh, Ash has no idea what the hell he's talking about," Gary murmured in her ear and Misty whimpered in reply. Something tugged in his heartstrings and he felt an unfamiliar burst of anger erupt in his body. "I don't know what the hell has gotten into that idiot. The bastard's never acted like that before." Gary rocked Misty back and forth and led her to a bench that overlooked the ocean. He knew that the one thing that could calm Misty down was the ocean. "Red, please calm down. I hate it when you cry," he whispered, pressing little kisses into her hair. Misty shuddered in reply and burrowed herself nearer into him.

"Aw, look at that! It seems that little Gary actually cares about her!" a rude voice interrupted their short-lived silence. Misty blearily lifted her head up and Gary glared at the unwanted visitor. Aqua snorted at the pitiful sight in front of her.

"What the hell do you want Aqua?" Gary spat, knowing that the girl caused nothing but trouble. Misty had told him about her and what she used to do when they were younger and he couldn't help but kick himself in the nuts for ever even dating a girl like that. Aqua flipped her hair with her meticulous nails, a sly smile toying on her face. Gary suddenly had a terrible feeling in his stomach as he held Misty tighter towards him but she decided to wriggle a bit out of his grip.

"Oh nothing. I just couldn't help but notice an angry looking Ash and when I saw you comforting Misty, I was just surprised, knowing the circumstances," Aqua airily replied and Misty wiped her eyes, looking confused.

"Circumstances? What circumstances?" she asked softly, her gaze switching between her cousin and the boy she was falling head over heels for. Gary stood up and glared, shaking his head.

"Don't even listen to her Mist. You yourself told me that she brings nothing but trouble."

Aqua looked mockingly shocked as she gasped and placed a hand over her heat. "Me? Trouble? Never!" she scoffed. "But cousin dear, I thought you should know that Gary doesn't really care for you, he told me himself. He only pities you and was planning on taking advantage of you and your vulnerable state. I mean, it's no secret that you're a virgin and never had a boyfriend. Oh, sorry, _were_ a virgin," she replied with a glint in her eyes.

Misty stood there, almost unable to comprehend what was going on. Gary was yelling in the background but Misty could hear nothing but the phrases 'took pity on you' and 'take advantage of you' kept whizzing in her mind like bullets.

"Misty, please don't listen to her!" Gary insisted but he knew it was of no use when he saw the guarded look in her eyes and the telltale sign of her holding her tears back. Arceus knew that he had seen that look enough in the two weeks that they were here but he never imagined being the one to cause it. "Red..."

"Don't call me that!" Misty snapped, closing her eyes and looking away. "I...I trusted you! I trusted you and poured my heart to you, told you my secrets and you were just _pitying_ me?" she screeched which caused Gary to flinch. "How dare you take me for some...some tramp who willingly falls into your arms with the snap of a finger?" Gary frowned, standing to his full height, eyes blazing.

"If you forgot, I told you my secrets as well! You're not the only one wading into foreign territory! I've never had a serious girlfriend or someone who I've felt like this with! How is this fair to me? You're not even giving me the benefit of the doubt!" Gary fought. Aqua smirked, walking away, knowing her job was done. But Gary and Misty were just getting started fighting.

"You've always been like this! A complete player who preys on vulnerable girls and gets the satisfaction of watching their hearts break when you leave them for another girl!" Misty snapped. "I can't believe I ever trusted you, you egotistical pig!"

"I've only ever been there for you Misty! I'm the one who sat with you when no one else would! I took you around town, had ice cream with you, I even comforted you after your fail of a date!" Gary growled. Misty gaped and the tears began to come back in full force.

"I never asked you to be there!" she shouted and Gary, completely frustrated with how stubborn she was being, had enough.

"Well then if you don't want me here, then just say the magic words and I'll be gone!" he screamed right back. Misty looked at him with tear-filled eyes and bit her lip.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" she bellowed and Gary humorlessly laughed, his expression cold. Misty was shaking and the tears were still streaming down her face.

"Your wish is my command Red. Have a nice life," he scoffed before walking away. Misty could only stare after him as he walked away. She considered calling out to him but her pride wouldn't allow that. Suddenly, it all sunk in. She was completely and utterly alone. May and Drew were of no help because they would only think the worst of her. Dawn wasn't talking to her, Ash was gone, and now even Gary was gone. Misty stumbled onto the beach and collapsed into a ball as she cried herself into oblivion. It was obvious that people were avoiding her as she poured out her emotions.

She knew it; she just _knew_ it. People like her, people who were nothing in the world, didn't deserve any luxuries or happiness in the world. No matter how hard they worked for it, no matter how much they gave up or sacrificed, all that happiness was eventually torn away from their greedy hands. How Misty wished that she could live a happy life like May or even Dawn. Those two had everything they could ever want. Their lives were absolutely perfect and they got whatever they wanted. She spiraled deeper and deeper into the dark abyss that she had climbed herself out of a mere few years ago. She, Misty Waterflower, was completely worthless, a waste of space. She was a burden to the world and no one ever wanted her. The very few things that she had that made her happy had just been cruelly ripped from her and there was no point in even being in this world. But she couldn't do something like this here.

Mustering up all her wit, Misty shakily got up and started to go over to her hotel. Then a thought crossed her mind. God, she had to go back up to the penthouse suite. She took a deep breath and entered the hotel with as much dignity as she possibly could. If she was lucky, Gary would be avoiding the room just as she would have, knowing that some of the greatest memories of both of their vacations were in that room. As she rode the elevator up, she couldn't help the tears once more. Why did everything always have to fall apart in the last minute? Sniffling, she opened the penthouse suite and began to pack her clothes. There was no point of even being here when she had nothing to be here for. Arceus knew she just wasn't worth it.

* * *

**Phew, that was a dramatic chapter. Sorry, this kind of fighting drama isn't really my style but...yea, hope you guys enjoyed that. Like I said, this is probably the second to last chapter, meaning next chapter could be the shocking (or not so shocking) ending to this wonderful little plot bunny I just thought of one sunny afternoon (or something like that...). **

**As usual, thanks for all the follows/favorites/reviews! It literally means the world to me and I can't believe that I'm almost hitting 50 reviews on this story! Like mentioned before, this started out as a random idea and I never imagined this story becoming something like this. Anyway, I'll save all of this for the last chapter...so you'll just have to wait! Hopefully I'll have more time to write...but no promises. The only promise I will make is finishing this story by _at least_ the end of August. **

**Anyway, until then...I'll se you guys next time!**

**~Deepika**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok, so I kind of lied. This is the last chapter, but don't worry there'll be an epilogue...but you'll see what I mean when you get to the end evil grin Anyway, I'm going to keep this author note short, and I'll leave you with the technical last chapter. I really hope you guys enjoy this and don't get too mad at me. **

**Now enough enough of my incessant rambling and let's get on with the chapter!**

**~Deepika**

* * *

_Chapter 9_

She felt numb; so utterly and completely numb. Unable to feel anything, unable to actually process what had happened in the matter of a mere half day. One moment she was on cloud nine and the next she was struggling to catch her breath from all the tears that were still streaming down her cheeks. This was punishment- it just had to be. No one else could ever have this type of luck. Only she, Misty Waterflower, would be the only person on Earth who could never find true happiness.

Laughing bitterly to herself, Misty continued to pack her suitcase. After the debauchery that was yesterday, she couldn't stand being here. Misty knew she wasn't wanted here; Aqua, Dawn, and even Gary had made that clear. Even thinking of Gary was like an arrow to her heart. She trusted him, poured out her entire soul and this was what she was repaid with? Mockery? Him taking advantage of her and her stupidity and naivety? In all her years of knowing Ash and in knowing Dawn, and even Gary, she had never known them to act like this. Ash had always been her stable rock, the person she could go to when things went wrong and it seemed like the world was against her. But now even he was gone from her life, a mere reminder that she was never meant to find true happiness in this world.

Her chest tightened with the fear of even stepping outside the hotel room. Going out meant facing the world, facing the reality that she was forever doomed for. All alone, people hating her or, on the other side of the spectrum, not even giving a rat's ass about her. Was it too much to ask for to be loved, to be cherished like they showed in the movies? In a way that only girls dreamed of and hoped to find one day? Her thoughts were spinning and she just couldn't help but toy with the fact that no one would care if she ended her life here and now.

* * *

He was furious- completely and utterly furious. How could she betray him like this? How could she even think of being with the one person who he had hated for almost his entire teen years? How could she be the person who ended a relationship, even if it was the relationship of said person he hated? This wasn't the Misty Waterflower he had come to know and love. In all the years he had known her, Ash Ketchum never thought Misty could willingly break a relationship just for the sake of fulfilling selfish temptations. He knew Gary was good looking and by far one of the most, if not _the_ most, sought after bachelor in all of the regions. But he never thought _Misty_ of all people would fall for Gary's obvious charm.

Pacing around his hotel room, Ash finally made the decision to go see Dawn. He knew that throughout this entire vacation, she was the one person who had been there for him and never lied to him like Misty had. Dawn was the only one who understood him and appreciated him and now that Misty had betrayed him in the most unexpected of ways, he had no one else to turn to. Ash decided that it was finally time to tell her how he felt. He had spent this entire vacation trying to find a pair to tell her how he had felt for a few years now but with all this drama, he had just never gotten around to it. Now that it was almost time to leave, he knew that this was his chance before all of them got swamped with work again. Ash wanted Dawn to know that she was loved and that he wanted to be the only man in her life. With a determined spirit, he marched out of his hotel room and down the hallway elevator to the room that he had become very familiar with.

* * *

He was hurt and betrayed. He didn't know what to think of the lies that had spurted out of his old fling's mouth. He couldn't believe the things that had spurted out of _Dawn's_ mouth. Sweet and innocent Dawn, the angel of Sinnoh and the most cheerful girl you would ever meet. Someone should edit that because what Gary saw yesterday was not 'sweet'. It wasn't even remotely nice in any manner whatsoever. The hate and malice that he saw in the bluenette's eyes was nothing short of shocking. But what really sent him for a head spin was the way Misty had reacted to Aqua's words. Normally, the redhead would be all over her cousin and Misty wouldn't take any crap from Aqua. But this time, the redhead just seemed to believe everything that Aqua had told her and hadn't even questioned it. It was like the past week hadn't occurred and he was still that annoying boy who had tormented Misty and Ash for a good portion of his teen-hood.

He mentally berated himself for ever trusting her. He knew that something like this would happen. This was _exactly_ the reason why he never committed himself into relationships. Drama like this would occur and he would be stuck picking up the pieces of his shattered heart. The rational part of Gary Oak knew that Misty was in a vulnerable state and that he should try to fight for her. But the stubborn and illogical part of him argued that all girls were like this and there was no reason to go back there and fix whatever had just happened. Even though him and Misty were the best thing that had ever happened to him in a long time, he couldn't help but let his pride get in the way. There was no way in hell he was fixing this and if he lost something that had truly brought him happiness, then so be it.

* * *

She was panicking; completely and utterly panicking and freaking out. Pacing around her room enough times to carve a hole in the hotel floor, Dawn Hikari nervously ran her fingers through her already tangled navy blue hair. She had never expected to feel guilt at this magnitude. What had started out as a revenge plan quickly fell apart when she saw the distraught and heartbroken look on Misty's face. No matter what had happened, Misty was her friend, someone who had been loyal to her till the very end. But the emotional and impulsive side of Dawn reasoned that Misty was just someone who took everything she had for granted and that ripping everything from her was the only way to teach her that lesson. That was the only way Dawn could get through this without breaking down into tears at what she had just done.

Misty had frequently told her and May about all the things that Aqua had done in their childhood years. Constant tormenting and emotional abuse had hardened Misty's exterior but left the redhead vulnerable and wary on the inside. It was hard for her to trust anyone, and the fact that Misty had so readily trusted Dawn and May was a testament to the friendship they had forged years ago. All these thoughts were burning through her jumbled mind when the door knocked. Jumping from the unexpected noise, Dawn quickly fixed herself and took a deep breath in order to regain composure and then opened the door. She was surprised to see the raven-haired boy who had been the cause of all of this. Swallowing thickly, she allowed him to come into the room.

Ash looked completely distraught and conflicted as if he was having a huge internal struggle. Dawn took one look at him and put her hand on his shoulder, about to tell him to sit down and tell her what was on his mind when suddenly his hand grabbed her waist and he pulled her in, smoothly capturing his lips. She gasped, unable to fathom what was going on but completely willing to comply. Sinking into the kiss, she allowed years of restrained passion to flow between them. Unfortunately, the human need for air kicked in and they pulled apart slowly, almost unable to realize that what had just happened was real life. For the first time in hours, Dawn spoke.

"Ash..." she breathed, breathless. Her hair was in disarray once more but she couldn't bring herself to care. Ash still gripped her waist tightly and his chest heaved with exertion. A sweet smile formed on his face and Dawn couldn't help but beam back. But suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. "Wait..." she murmured, trying to free herself from his grip but he wouldn't let go. "Ash, I thought you were in love with Misty!" she blurted out. To Dawn's complete surprise, Ash burst out laughing. A shocked and confused look began to form on Dawn's face and Ash sobered up enough to explain.

"Silly girl, it's you; it's always been you. I thought you knew by now; Misty's like a sister to me, she always has been. Ever since I met you... Arceus, I've felt things I've never felt before. The things you do to me Dawn...it's indescribable," Ash breathed as the pit of despair forming in Dawn's stomach grew bigger and bigger before it settled into the bottom of her stomach. Dawn swallowed thickly before looking at him with glassy eyes.

"You never loved Misty?" she asked softly, the guilt that had previously been confined suddenly escaping and threatening to explode. This time, Ash did let go and he looked at her with a confused expression that, if the situation wasn't this serious, Dawn would coo and call it adorable.

"No...is there a problem with that?" Ash asked, choking on the name Misty. He was still furious about what had happened and he remembered his original purpose of coming to the room. "By the way, I can't believe her! How could Misty Waterflower have the audacity to ruin a perfectly good relationship? I mean, I know it's Gary and everything, but the way Aqua was describing it, it was like she and Gary were getting serious." Ash looked at Dawn with the sincerest of looks she had ever seen on a man. "I hate her Dawn; I legitimately hate her and what she's become. You didn't see her, looking all happy and cuddly with Gary. How could she even bare to look him in the eye after ruining his relationship with her cousin?" As Ash ranted, Dawn spiraled into complete frenzy mode.

"Oh my Arceus, oh dear Mew, oh Celebi, oh good Palkia," Dawn muttered as she began pacing around again. Ash slowly trailed off from his venting to look at her worriedly.

"Dawn...? What's wrong? Did Misty do something to you?" he asked, suddenly very protective of her. Dawn froze in place and looked up at him with a horrified face. Tears were pooling in her eyes.

"No! _I_ did something to _Misty_!" she sobbed. Ash perked a brow, clearly still confused. Dawn sniffled and tried to regain her composure. "About a w-week ago, when we were dancing in the beach club, I-I was trying to find you. Except, when I got there, y-you were t-talking to G-Gary a-and," Dawn's voice was cut off by a sob. "And you were t-talking about Misty, saying how you l-loved her. A-and I misinterpreted it b-because I-I didn't stay to h-hear the whole t-thing so I-I thought you...loved her and not me."

"I don't understand..." Ash replied but had already stepped a little away from Dawn. Dawn whimpered a bit, unsure of how to tell Ash of the horrible crime she had committed.

"I-I overreacted; I got mad at Misty and completely isolated her, made her think that she wasn't loved here. A-and then... And then I t-talked to Aqua a-and we formed this plan where w-we would tell you that Misty b-broke up Gary and Aqua's relationship and then tell M-Misty that Gary was o-only t-taking advantage of her." Ash was completely silent, a billion thoughts running through his mind. He thought back to the events of yesterday and his heart seemed to freeze and shatter completely.

Ash looked at Dawn in a new light. No longer was she the pure and innocent girl he had pegged her for. No, she was much more than that- she was devious and vengeful, two qualities he had no interest in. And then his mind whizzed back to Misty and all the hateful words he had said to her. His knees felt physically weak. He was supposed to be her rock; he was supposed to be there for her no matter what! He was the closest thing she had to family and he had completely mucked it up, all for a girl who had been overcome by jealousy. The whole situation was insane- it seemed like something one could only find in one of those cheesy chick-flicks. But alas, it was real; _one hundred percent real_. He had lost his sister and best friend over something that he should not have overreacted about. He knew her troubles and demons. He knew what made her tick, what made her fall apart...yet he did nothing about it. He caused her pain and that was enough to send a shiver of displeasure down his spine. Dawn looked at the young man nervously.

"Ash, please say something," Dawn pleaded quietly. Ash seemed to have gone catatonic since she had admitted to what she had done and everything she had tried had failed to snap him out of the trance. Tears fell from her eyes and Dawn felt the urge to go huddle up in a corner and cry. "Ash please, you have to understand, I didn't mean for things with Misty to go this far!" As if Misty was the code to his power switch, Ash blinked and turned on Dawn, fuming.

"Well, what really happened? Why did Misty end up with Gary anyway?" he spat, unable to even look at Dawn in the eye. Dawn sniffled as she tried to wipe her tears in vain. "I know that Misty wouldn't willingly go to Gary; he would be her very last resort. So why did they end up together?"

"From my understanding," Dawn wobbly began. "Misty had a date with Trent, the bartender, the guy that you and Gary were having an argument about in the first place. But it turned out that Trent is the longtime boyfriend of Aqua. They were just on a break when Trent asked Misty out but when Misty came for the date, she found Trent and Aqua back together." Dawn sniffled once more as a sob ripped through her throat. "Please...please, you have to forgive me..."

"Forgive you? Why in the name of Arceus should I forgive you? You deliberately hurt my _sister_ and made her feel like she was nothing in the world! Don't you know about her demons? She's depressed and you've honestly made it worse! Then you go and tear our friendship and family bond apart and for what? To stake your claim on me? If you could just look at yourself in the mirror and just understand what you've become, I guarantee you won't like it. You just don't understand it, do you?" Ash asked, laughing humorlessly when he saw the confused and heartbroken look on Dawn's face. "You're absolutely gorgeous and stunning, if you'd just give yourself a chance. You're jealous of someone who's never had a boyfriend, never had someone to truly love her, and although it hurts to say this, I'm pretty sure Gary was the only one who's shown her any hint of kindness this past week. I respected you Dawn. I trusted you over Misty, who I've known for practically my entire life. I _lost_ her because of you!" Dawn couldn't take it anymore and she stood up, hands on hips and eyes ablaze.

"Oh, _I'm_ the only one to blame for this mess? _I_ wasn't the one who freaked out when Misty was with Gary. _I_ wasn't the one who threw away years of trust and abandoned family. _I_ wasn't the one who is too thick to see that Misty obviously likes Gary and that something magical could happen between them!" It was silent for a moment and Dawn had to reflect on her words. She should have seen it, she should have seen the look in Misty's eyes that would have surely told her that there was something between the two of them. "Look, you can stand here in a daze all day. Meanwhile, I'm going to go fix what I've botched up."

* * *

Gary Oak woke up to annoying knocking at his door. Groaning, he tried to ignore it, hoping it was room service or maid service who would get the message and go away. He seriously wasn't in the mood to get out of bed and he certainly didn't want to make the effort of talking with someone. Unfortunately, the knocking continued and Gary had no choice but to get up and answer the door. When he opened the door, however, he was met with a surprise. Out of all the people to come to his hotel room door, he certainly didn't expect a red-eyed Dawn and a devastated Ash. There was an awkward stare down until Gary gritted his teeth and allowed them to enter his room. Dawn and Ash entered, looking at the room with awe. Dawn spoke first.

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to but you just need to listen to me, I'm begging you!" Dawn begged. Gary gave her an icy stare.

"Now why would I do that?" Gary asked sarcastically. "If I recall, you were the main reason Misty was having the crappiest vacation in the history of vacations." Dawn looked down, dejected. Despite his brain telling him how stupid it was to defend Dawn, Ash stepped up with a certain authority in his eyes.

"Just hear her out Gary," Ash said calmly. Gary was about to protest when Ash cut him off. "Look, I know I've done my fair share of idiotic things but this is our chance- all of us- to make this thing right. You and I both know that Misty never deserved any of this, so it's our duty to fix this." Gary took a deep breath and fixed a hard glare on Dawn. Ash nodded at Dawn and she almost grabbed his hand when she saw the guarded look in his eyes and restrained herself.

"I-I know how stupid this was. I overreacted and everything but I'm begging you, with everything I have to offer, you _have_ to talk to Misty. I know she talked to you about some of the stuff she went through, but I don't think you know how serious this is."

"What, is this life or death?" Gary mockingly asked but gulped when he saw the serious look on Dawn and Ash's face. "Wait, you're serious?" Gary asked, still unable to believe it.

"Yea. I don't think you understand how deep Misty's problems run. I won't tell you things because her decision whether to tell you these things or not but I will tell you that she has a severe case of depression. She's been in denial of it for a long time but these events... These events could spark something that I don't even want to think of. Obviously you're the only person who she'll even listen to- Dawn and I have messed up really badly and I think that you're the only one she'll listen to now. Even Drew and May can't even talk to her. Please...can you please do it for her?" Ash asked sincerely and Gary nodded.

Determined, Gary went to Misty's hotel room...

* * *

Misty rubbed her eyes again. They burned from all the tears that had fallen and she vowed for no more. She was done putting herself out there, she was done trying to find love and done trusting people when all they did was just stab you in the back when they needed you the most. She would come back stronger, come back with an impenetrable heart and a steel casing over that. No more people taking advantage of her, no more heartbreak, and certainly no more tears. Hauling her bags with her, Misty trudged over to the docks and called out Lapras once more. It was time to say goodbye to this Arceus-awful place that housed some of the best and worst memories. She would figure all of this out at home. Now, her only mission was to get out of this forsaken place. Lapras cooed concernedly and Misty did her best to reassure her pokemon. Stroking her head softly, Misty climbed on top of Lapras and urged the pokemon to go. She was going far, far away.

* * *

**Ooh...major cliff hanger. Told you guys that you would be mad at me by the end of the chapter. As always, thank you for all the follows/favorites/reviews. They seriously mean the world to me. And I'm happy to announce that we've passed 50 reviews! Gah, you guys are just so amazing! Anyway, I guess that's all I have to say. Watch out for the epilogue and I guess I'll see you guys next chapter!**

**~Deepika**


	10. Epilogue

**I was originally going to make this longer but I think that this kind of wrapped up everything I wanted to wrap up. Super long author's note at the end but for now, I hope you enjoy the very last chapter of Trouble in Paradise. **

**Now enough of my incessant rambling and let's get on with the final chapter!**

**~Deepika**

* * *

_Epilogue_

Gary took a deep breath as he stood outside the door. He knew that Misty would be furious but he knew that it was now or never. All he had to do was knock and then hopefully once she saw his face, she'd forgive him for everything. Knowing he was walking into the lion's den, Gary tentatively knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a straight faced Misty, glaring at the man standing in front of her.

"It's about damn time," Misty harrumphed. Gary gave her an apologetic smile and grabbed the redhead's hands and gave her peck on the lips. "Don't expect to be forgiven just because you work all your Oak voodoo magic on me," she smirked but let Gary come in anyway. "You're just lucky you brought food with you," Misty declared as Gary held up the white paper bag filled with delicious smelling food.

"Oh come on, I know how bad hospital food can be," Gary perked a brow and Misty conceded and took the bag from him. She was wearing the hospital's traditional garb but she looked happier than she had in a while. "So how are you doing?" he asked softly and Misty looked at him with a strangely serious look that held a certain air of wisdom.

"I'm not cutting myself or I haven't overdosed on sleeping pills if that's what you're asking," she stated causing Gary to flinch. It had been a hard year for Misty. It was hard to believe that the whole Bichi fiasco had occurred almost nine months ago. Since then, Misty had gone through her hardest bout of depression and had taken the extremely dark path of trying to take her own life. If it wasn't for Gary, she wouldn't be on Earth anymore, wouldn't be able to see the smiling faces of Gary, Drew, and May. After her suicide scare, she had been checked into a psychiatric hospital that housed people that had a variety of illnesses. She had been forced to close down the gym for a period of time and her therapist- who at first been forced on her but now she couldn't help but love her- had helped her make the difficult decision of asking her siblings to move out of the house that they had all grown up in.

Although Gary had been at her front door two days after Misty had checked out of the hotel and had explained what had happened, Misty hadn't really recovered from those events. She had spiraled deeper and deeper into her pit of depression until it came to the point where she had to acknowledge the fact that she was suffering from this psychological disorder. It had taken her a while to open up but she was slowly getting better. Taking each day as a challenge, Misty was glad that Gary had taken time out of his busy schedule to visit her everyday. Drew and May came to visit every once in a while but Misty understood that they were both busy with their coordinating careers. Gary Oak was truly her rock and had never failed to show his complete support through everything she did.

"So Ash requested permission to see me again," Misty started conversationally. Gary nodded while taking food out of the paper bag and setting it on the table. These conversations always started out like this. "And I've allowed him to see me," Misty continued and Gary froze in place. This was new; Misty had been adamant that she didn't want Ash having anything with her life for the longest time. But it also wasn't _that_ big of a surprise, mostly because Ash was like family to her (the only family that really mattered to her) and Misty wasn't one to really turn her back on family, not matter what they had done to her. Gary looked up to the girl he had fallen in love with over the past few months, a supportive smile on his face.

"You know I support you with whatever you do. I just have one request of being in the room while this confrontation goes on. I don't want you stressing yourself out unnecessarily and having to call the nurses. I can't see you go through that again." Gary's voice had a tinge of vulnerability that made Misty walk over to his open arms and snuggle into his chest. Kissing the crown of her head, Gary rested his chin softly on the top of her head and gently swayed them from side to side. "I love you, you know that?" Gary asked softly and Misty looked up at Gary with teary eyes that were shining with happiness. She kissed him as if it was the last time she'd ever kiss him; although the logical part of her brain argued that Gary wasn't going anywhere, there was still a part of her that believed that all of this was going to be ripped from her grasp one of these days. But somehow, Gary knew what she was thinking and he chuckled lowly. "I'm not leaving you, no matter how hard you push away. I love you and I think you're stuck with me for a while."

"Oh hush you. Ash is coming a little later today. By the way, how's..." Gary seemed to understand what she was saying and he took a deep breath nodding to himself.

"Well, no one's speaking to her still except for Ash, I think. But even he just did it because I think it's weighing down on her consciousness. He doesn't like leaving things unfinished, especially fights with his best friends." Gary led her to the bed so he could give her the food that he had picked up especially for her. Misty nodded, satisfied with his answer.

"And what about you? How's your newest project going?" Misty asked as she slowly ate the food. As Gary beamed and started to ramble about his latest ventures as an official professor of the pokemon science community, Misty couldn't help but let a wave of contentment wash over her. She finally found something worth living for. She finally found a man to love, someone who understood her, challenged her, and matched her strengths and weaknesses. Her life was finally turning around and she no longer had to worry so much about going into the deepest and blackest part of her mind. Things were finally looking up to the bright side...and she wouldn't have it any other way.

_Fin_

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**Well guys...this is it. After 2 long years, I've finally finished this story. I'm quite proud of the result and I think that though some of it may have seemed rushed or that things happened too fast, I think I executed the story the best to my ability. Thank you for sticking with me throughout the years and dealing with my constant writer's block. Thank you for making this one of the best experiences I could have asked for. Your feedback and reactions to each chapter motivated me to keep writing and keep doing this because I knew that there were at least a few people reading my story and at the end of the day, I don't think I could ask for anything more. I'm so proud of this story and I appreciate each and every one of you who have ever taken time out of your day to read my story. **

**As usual, thank you for all the follows/favorites/reviews. They make me feel like I'm an amazing author and that I'm doing something right. Writing is one of my favorite hobbies and to get the response that I got with this story...it's astounding. Thank you all SO much from the bottom of my heart. I less than three you!**

**~Deepika**


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